PROLIFIC Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'prolific' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of prolific are fecund , fertile , and fruitful . While all these words mean "producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit," prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction. // a prolific writer

Q: When is 'fecund' a more appropriate choice than 'prolific'?

The meanings of fecund and prolific largely overlap; however, fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring. // a fecund herd

Q: When is it sensible to use 'fertile' instead of 'prolific'?

The words fertile and prolific are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth; applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development. // fertile soil // a fertile imagination

Q: How does the word 'fruitful' relate to other synonyms for 'prolific'?

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

prolific

adjective

prə-ˈli-fik

Definition of prolific next

as in fertile

producing abundantly a famously prolific author who could produce several works of fiction and nonfiction a year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word prolific distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of prolific are fecund, fertile, and fruitful. While all these words mean "producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit," prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction.

a prolific writer

When is fecund a more appropriate choice than prolific?

The meanings of fecund and prolific largely overlap; however, fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring.

a fecund herd

When is it sensible to use fertile instead of prolific?

The words fertile and prolific are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth; applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development.

fertile soil

a fertile imagination

How does the word fruitful relate to other synonyms for prolific?

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

fruitful research

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of prolific Trained to harass and arrest the kind of people ending up in shallow graves across King County, the police officers who might have solved the mystery of the U.S.’s second-most prolific serial killer failed to connect the dots. —

Emma Alpern, Vulture, 28 Jan. 2025 At 15, Moore discovered that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as Happy Face. —

Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2025 The properties purchased by this network of companies have been among the most prolific code violators of any properties sold through the program, the Herald’s analysis found. —

Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025 The team who put the series together comprises several of those who brought ‘The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window’ to the big screen in 2013 including prolific European TV drama producer Patrick Nebout and Whiskey on the Rocks screenwriter and exec producer Henrik Jansson-Schweizer. —

Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for prolific