profusion

[ pruh-fyoo-zhuhn ]

noun

1. abundance; abundant quantity.

   Synonyms: copiousness, bounty

   Antonyms: scarcity

2. a great quantity or amount (often followed by of ).
3. lavish spending; extravagance.

   Synonyms: waste, excess, profligacy, prodigality

Word History and Origins

Origin of profusion¹

First recorded in 1535–45; rom Latin profūsiōn- (stem of profūsiō ) “a pouring out, extravagance,” originally, “libation”; profuse, fusion

Synonym Study

See plenty.

Example Sentences

Of course, there was a profusion of great minds in California’s fertile Santa Clara Valley, innovators and visionaries blessed with a superhuman capacity to peer around corners and deep into the future.

From Los Angeles Times

It's not always an absolutely gobsmacking profusion of uncontrollably bizarre life, as occurred with what's aptly called the Cambrian Explosion, a period about 540 million years ago when evolution got extremely creative.

From Salon

The answer is not a sudden profusion of expressly political films; didacticism doesn’t win elections any more than it does the box office.

From Los Angeles Times

Like Domingo, Murphy conveys so much through his eyes that you understand why their directors use a profusion of closeups.

From Los Angeles Times

For many locals, the South Bay, with its profusion of Japanese supermarkets and restaurants, has eclipsed Little Tokyo for everyday shopping and eating.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• glut
• outpouring