prolific

CEFRC1

/pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Producing many works, results, or offspring.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Of a flower: from which another flower is produced.

Examples

  • My friends say I'm a prolific writer, but I haven't written anything for months.

  • Verdi was a prolific composer of operas.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • /ˌpɹoʊˈlɪf.ɪk/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings
  1. Similarly producing results or performing deeds in abundance.

  2. Fertile; producing offspring or fruit in abundance, applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.

  3. Copious; plentiful; abundant.

More examples

In context
  • Dickens was a very prolific writer.

  • The prolific bird life around the Inlet was thinning out but grey rosellas and zebras and painted finches made the bush merry[.]

  • A Chinese PhD student who is "one of the most prolific predators" in the UK has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 24 years.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The novelist was so blank that she published ten novels in two years.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

First use appears c. 1635. From French prolifique and its etymon Latin prōlificus, from prōlēs (“offspring”) + -ficus (“making”).