Dandelions are prolific — a single plant can produce hundreds of seeds.
The band was remarkably prolific in the 1980s, releasing several albums a year.
Rabbits are notoriously prolific breeders.
He became one of the most prolific goal scorers in the league's history.
The workshop period proved prolific for the young composer.
Similar words
fertile
fertile
creative
productive
teeming
bountiful
fruitful
inventive
abundant
generative
Meanings
Highly productive in creative or professional output
adjective
everyday
neutral
Producing a large amount of work, achievements, or results, especially in a creative or intellectual field.
Examples
The author is a prolific writer who publishes at least two novels a year.
She is known as a prolific researcher in the field of renewable energy.
The band was remarkably prolific in the 1980s, releasing several albums a year.
He became one of the most prolific goal scorers in the league's history.
The workshop period proved prolific for the young composer.
Similar words
productive
fruitful
creative
generative
fertile
inventive
Bearing many offspring or producing abundant growth
adjective
science
neutral
Producing many offspring, seeds, or new growth in abundance, used of animals, plants, or natural processes.
Examples
The garden has a prolific harvest every summer due to careful tending.
Rabbits are notoriously prolific breeders.
The river valley's prolific vegetation surprised the explorers.
The bee colony was remarkably prolific, tripling in size over the summer.
Dandelions are prolific — a single plant can produce hundreds of seeds.
Similar words
fertile
fruitful
fecund
abundant
bountiful
teeming
Etymology
From French prolifique, from Latin prolificus, a compound of proles ('offspring, descendants') and facere ('to make, produce'). First recorded in English around 1635. The biological sense came first, describing animals or plants that reproduce abundantly. By the mid-18th century the word had broadened to any kind of high-volume output.
FAQ
What does prolific mean?
Prolific means producing a large amount: a prolific author publishes many books, a prolific scorer nets many goals, a prolific plant bears much fruit. The emphasis is always on impressive quantity of output.
What is the difference between prolific and productive?
Productive is a general term for generating useful output. Prolific specifically implies an unusually large volume and is more often applied to creative, artistic, or biological contexts. A factory can be productive; a novelist is more naturally called prolific.
Can prolific be used for animals and plants?
Yes, that is in fact the word's original biological sense. Prolific breeders produce many offspring; prolific plants bear abundant fruit or seeds.
Is prolific always positive?
Usually, yes. Prolific implies impressive volume of output and is generally complimentary. Context can make it neutral or negative: 'a prolific criminal' is not a compliment, but even then it simply means very active.
What is the noun form of prolific?
There is no widely used direct noun form of prolific. The related noun is prolificacy or prolificness, but in practice people use 'productivity', 'output', or 'fecundity' (in the biological sense) instead.
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.