prolific

1 of 2

adjective

pro·​lif·​ic prə-ˈli-fik 

1

: marked by abundant inventiveness or productivity

a prolific composer

And over the course of her prolific career, [Alice] Walker has gone on to write over 40 genre-spanning books.

—Rayna Reid Rayford

2

: producing young or fruit especially freely : fruitful

The half-inch blooms are round and prolific, borne atop leafy stems.

—Adrian Higgins

3

archaic : causing abundant growth, generation, or reproduction

prolificacy

prə-ˈli-fi-kə-sē 

noun

prolifically

prə-ˈli-fi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

prolificness

prə-ˈli-fik-nəs 

noun

prolificacy

2 of 2

noun

pro·​lif·​i·​ca·​cy -fə̇kəsē 

-fēk-, 

-si

plural -es

: the quality or state of being prolific

the emergence of paperback books in a prolificacy unknown on these shores

—Times Literary Supplement

especially : the quality or state of producing young in large numbers or at frequent intervals

the prolificacy of rabbits

Synonyms of prolific

Adjective

• fertile
• rich

Choose the Right Synonym for prolific

fertile, fecund, fruitful, prolific mean producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit.

fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth

fertile soil

; applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development.

a fertile imagination

fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring.

a fecund herd

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

fruitful research

prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction.

a prolific writer

Examples of prolific in a Sentence

Adjective

Since [David] Mamet is a prolific writer of Hollywood screenplays, there are today more people who know his work than know that they know it. —Juliet Fleming, Times Literary Supplement, 18 Feb. 2000

The main rival to his pneumonia was the prolific thrush which went into his throat and stomach. —Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting, 1993

A writer as established and prolific as Joyce Carol Oates can approach her material in a wealth of ways unavailable to the more plodding. —Jane Smiley, New York Times Book Review, 5 May 1991

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Mack once again decided to extend his prolific career, Tuipulotu is playing for a new contract after earning 13 sacks in 2025, and Dupree brings veteran depth. — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Designed by prolific Brooklyn architect Theobald Engelhardt, the building itself was constructed as a barrel factory for the sugar refineries that once dominated the Williamsburg waterfront. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2026

Vogue Daily Newsletter At the heart of the exhibition are the voices and donations of Ron Porter and Joe Price, prolific collectors whose love affair with art jewelry began, fatefully, on a 1986 trip to MAD, then known as the American Craft Museum. — Livia Caligor, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026

The prolific aerial attack was all part of the plan under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. — Pj Green september 4, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

French prolifique, from Middle French, from Latin proles + Middle French -figue -fic

Noun

prolific + -acy (as in efficacy)

First Known Use

Adjective

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for prolific

• horrific
• pacific
• salvific
• specific
• terrific
• calorific
• conspecific
• hieroglyphic
• honorific
• nonspecific
• scientific
• soporific

Kids Definition

prolific

adjective

pro·​lif·​ic prə-ˈlif-ik 

1

: producing young or fruit in large numbers

a prolific orchard

2

: highly inventive : productive

a prolific writer

prolifically

-ˈlif-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb