ample

adjective

am·​ple ˈam-pəl How to pronounce ample (audio)
1
: generous or more than adequate in size, scope, or capacity
There was room for an ample garden.
2
: generously sufficient to satisfy a requirement or need
They had ample money for the trip.
3
: buxom, portly
an ample figure
ampleness noun
amply adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for ample

spacious, commodious, capacious, ample mean larger in extent or capacity than the average.

spacious implies great length and breadth.

a spacious front lawn

commodious stresses roominess and comfortableness.

a commodious and airy penthouse apartment

capacious stresses the ability to hold, contain, or retain more than the average.

a capacious suitcase

ample implies having a greater size, expanse, or amount than that deemed adequate.

ample closet space

plentiful, ample, abundant, copious mean more than sufficient without being excessive.

plentiful implies a great or rich supply.

peaches are plentiful this summer

ample implies a generous sufficiency to satisfy a particular requirement.

ample food to last the winter

abundant suggests an even greater or richer supply than does plentiful.

streams abundant with fish

copious stresses largeness of supply rather than fullness or richness.

copious examples of bureaucratic waste

Examples of ample in a Sentence

They had ample money for the trip. The police found ample evidence of wrongdoing. There is ample parking at the stadium. You will have ample opportunity to finish the test. The light in the room is more than ample. There was room for an ample garden. an ample serving of pie
Recent Examples on the Web And both players are paired with a dynamic guard and ample shooters. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 This fade-resistant canopy adds a burst of color to your patio, provides ample shade from the sun's rays, and features an easy-open crank mechanism and a convenient three-way tilt. Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2024 Carell has ample fun as the film's antagonist, a showman who makes a point of behaving as a ridiculous chauvinist. Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Enter Richard Quinn, who has ample looks for both categories. Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 That was also the country’s industrial base; there, wartime destruction created ample opportunity to champion the workers who would rebuild the nation. Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Medium-full, this is very ripe with ample wood notes, there is balanced acidity, very good persistence and medium-full tannins and a bit sharp now. Tom Hyland, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Some conservationists believe more land should be designated for critical habitat, or even reintroduction, while others think the current allocation is ample, possibly too much, given there have only been eight jaguar sightings in the area over the last 30 years. Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 Many have pointed toward King Charles' ample health transparency as a concerning contrast to Middleton's. News of King Charles' cancer diagnosis was made public Feb. 5, a week after he was discharged from the London Clinic. Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ample.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "abundant," borrowed from Anglo-French, "wide, extensive, great," going back to Latin amplus "more than adequate in size or extent, great, having wide scope (of the mind or other abstract entities)," of uncertain origin

Note: M. de Vaan (Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages, Brill, 2008) sees amplus going back to *am-lo-, a derivative of a verb base *am- going back to Indo-European *h2emh3- "take hold of" (see amateur). Semantically this hypothesis works well, though it requires that the more likely form *am-a-lo- would have undergone early syncope. The word ampla, supposedly meaning "handle," would be corroboration; however, attestations for ampla are post-classical, excepting an apparent metaphorical employment in the sense "opportunity" by Cicero.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ample was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near ample

Cite this Entry

“Ample.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ample. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ample

adjective
am·​ple ˈam-pəl How to pronounce ample (audio)
ampler -p(ə-)lər How to pronounce ample (audio) ; amplest -p(ə-)ləst How to pronounce ample (audio)
1
: generous in size, scope, or capacity : copious
ample room for a garden
2
: enough to satisfy a need
ample money for the trip
ampleness noun
amply adverb

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