Vocabulary in context
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Prolific
Producing a large amount of something; highly productive or fertile, often referring to people who create many works or results.
adjective💡
Imagine This
Imagine a tireless author at a desk, drafting page after page, or a busy beehive buzzing with hundreds of blossoms and jars of honey filling one after another. Prolific means producing a lot of output without running dry.
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Sounds Like
pruh-LIF-ik
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Looks Like
productive, fertile — both sharing the sense of high output
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Remember This
Prolific describes quantity of output, not necessarily quality. It is often applied to writers, artists, scientists, or any creator who produces a lot. Its noun forms are prolificness or prolificacy.
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Other Forms
prolificnessnoun
prolificacynoun
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Connect With
productive, fruitful, fertile, copious, abundant, output, creativity
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Note
Do not confuse with profitable (relating to making money). Prolific emphasizes production, not value. The word can describe plants as well (a prolific plant).
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The author is incredibly prolific, releasing multiple novels in a single year.
- Her prolific research career led to dozens of groundbreaking papers.
Synonyms
productivefertilefruitfulcopiousabundant
Antonyms
unproductivebarrenscarce
Etymology
From Latin prolificus 'bearing offspring', from proles 'offspring' + -ficus 'making'.
Mnemonic
PRO-LIFE-IC: Think of something that 'makes life' by producing a lot of output; prolific means producing a lot.
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Distended
adjectiveStretch out or become larger or wider, often due to internal pressure or inflation; also used to describe swelling.
Counterproductive
adjectiveHaving the opposite of the desired effect; actions or policies that hinder rather than help progress.
Impose
verbTo force a rule, tax, burden, or other obligation to be accepted or put in place by authority; to burden someone with something unwelcome.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Copious
adjectivePlentiful; existing in large quantities.
Abstruse
adjectiveDifficult to understand; obscure or highly complex.
Accidental
adjectiveHappening by chance or without deliberate planning; not intended. In music, it is also a noun for a symbol that temporarily alters a pitch.
Acerbic
adjectiveSharp or biting in tone or taste; caustic or mordant in manner.
Acquiescent
adjectiveReady to agree or approve without protest; compliant.
Adamant
adjectiveRigid in opinion or purpose; not willing to change one's mind or position.
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