prolific

adjective

pro·​lif·​ic prə-ˈli-fik How to pronounce prolific (audio)
1
: producing young or fruit especially freely : fruitful
2
archaic : causing abundant growth, generation, or reproduction
3
: marked by abundant inventiveness or productivity
a prolific composer
prolificacy noun
prolifically adverb
prolificness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for prolific

fertile, fecund, fruitful, prolific mean producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit.

fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth

fertile soil

; applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development.

a fertile imagination

fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring.

a fecund herd

fruitful adds to fertile and fecund the implication of desirable or useful results.

fruitful research

prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction.

a prolific writer

Examples of prolific in a Sentence

Since [David] Mamet is a prolific writer of Hollywood screenplays, there are today more people who know his work than know that they know it. Juliet Fleming, Times Literary Supplement, 18 Feb. 2000
The main rival to his pneumonia was the prolific thrush which went into his throat and stomach. Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting, 1993
A writer as established and prolific as Joyce Carol Oates can approach her material in a wealth of ways unavailable to the more plodding. Jane Smiley, New York Times Book Review, 5 May 1991
Here there are La restaurants, wine bars, bookshops, estate agents more prolific than doctors, and attractive people in black, few of them aging. Hanif Kureishi, Granta 22, Autumn 1987
a famously prolific author who could produce several works of fiction and nonfiction a year
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even his fellow prolific contemporaries don’t have a bar so high — sorry, Ridley Scott. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024 Flashback: Thurber House was the home of humorist James Thurber, a prolific early 20th century author, journalist and playwright who lived there from 1913-17 while studying at OSU. Andrew King, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024 Phishing for weight-loss drug victims Tracking activity over the first four months of this year, McAfee’s Threat Research Team uncovered just how prolific weight-loss scams have become across malicious websites, scam emails and texts, posts on social media and online marketplace listings. Bob Woods, CNBC, 8 Dec. 2024 The couple have been friends of Trump for over 20 years and are among his most prolific donors. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 7 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prolific 

Word History

Etymology

French prolifique, from Middle French, from Latin proles + Middle French -figue -fic

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prolific was in 1650

Dictionary Entries Near prolific

Cite this Entry

“Prolific.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prolific. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

prolific

adjective
pro·​lif·​ic prə-ˈlif-ik How to pronounce prolific (audio)
1
: producing young or fruit in large numbers
a prolific orchard
2
: highly inventive : productive
a prolific writer
prolifically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on prolific

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!