prolific

[ pruh-lif-ik ]

adjective

1. producing offspring, young, fruit, etc., abundantly; highly fruitful:

   a prolific pear tree.

   Synonyms: abundant, fecund, teeming

   Antonyms: barren

2. producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive:

   a prolific writer.

   Synonyms: abundant, fecund, teeming

3. profusely productive or fruitful (often followed by in or of ):

   a bequest prolific of litigations.

4. characterized by abundant production:

   a prolific year for tomatoes.

prolific

/ prəˈlɪfɪk /

adjective

1. producing fruit, offspring, etc, in abundance
2. producing constant or successful results
3. often foll byin or of rich or fruitful

Derived Forms

• proˈlificness, noun
• proˈlifically, adverb

Other Words From

• pro·lif·i·ca·cy [pr, uh, -, lif, -i-k, uh, -see], pro·li·fic·i·ty [proh-l, uh, -, fis, -i-tee], pro·lific·ness noun
• pro·lifi·cal·ly adverb
• nonpro·lific adjective
• nonpro·lific·ness noun
• nonpro·lifi·ca·cy noun
• nonpro·lifi·cal·ly adverb
• over·pro·lific adjective
• over·pro·lific·ness noun
• over·pro·lifi·cal·ly adverb
• unpro·lific adjective
• unpro·lific·ness noun
• unpro·lifi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of prolific¹

First recorded in 1640–50, prolific is from the Medieval Latin word prōlificus “fertile.” See prolicide, -fic

Word History and Origins

Origin of prolific¹

C17: from Medieval Latin prōlificus, from Latin prōlēs offspring

Synonym Study

See productive.

Example Sentences

Holding a Guinness World Record as the planet’s most prolific professional blogger, Murph has been working from home for nearly his entire professional career.

From Fortune

That means the county can cut other kinds of gases, like methane from landfills, but it’s all measured against carbon dioxide, the most prolific greenhouse gas.

From Voice of San Diego

Studies pointed out the bias toward temperate zones in previous work, and indicated that in the tropics, females of many species are prolific singers.

From Popular-Science

I would be hard pressed to think of any author more prolific than Baggott when it comes to quantum mechanics.

From Nautilus

East Ventures, one of the most prolific and influential investment firms in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest market, will be represented by Melisa Irene, the firm’s first female partner.

From TechCrunch

As a prolific and early entry in the cannon of television drama, The Twilight Zone never fully disappeared from the airwaves.

From The Daily Beast

Glackens was a prolific cartoonist in Philadelphia and his comics are one of the most surprising elements in the Puck book.

From The Daily Beast

Since Westlake was as prolific as he was versatile, this all took a while.

From The Daily Beast

All of this comes across in her writing about cultural politics—and she is staggeringly prolific.

From The Daily Beast

Now, here is a sweet taste of the South from one of our most prolific and talented writers.

From The Daily Beast

The soil of Cuba is prolific, and the variety of tropical plants and fruits grown upon the island is quite remarkable.

From Project Gutenberg

The free book system that prevails in some schools is a prolific source of infection.

From Project Gutenberg

Such are the gifts the gods have endowed us withal: such was the facility of this prolific writer!

From Project Gutenberg

The previous works of this prolific author have proved by their popularity that they meet a genuine demand.

From Project Gutenberg

These animals are very prolific; the young ones follow the dam, and do not separate from her till they are full grown.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• creative
• rich