prolific

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

Synonyms of prolific

• 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

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

The prolific designer has put his touch on Barbie and Ken dolls. — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026

The prolific Polish broke out with his low-budget cult hit, Twin Falls Idaho, and has since helmed an array of indie features ranging from a Kerouac adaptation (Big Sur) to a sci-fi spoof (Hot Bot) to an old-school Western (Terror on the Prairie). — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026

Broadrick has always been one of metal’s most prolific compartmentalists, and his legacy is diverse. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026

Prior to his capture this year, Sebastian Marset was reputed to be one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers, allegedly sending mountains of cocaine — 10 tons or more per shipment — from South America to Europe. — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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