plethora

noun

pleth·​o·​ra ˈple-thə-rə 

1

: an ample amount or number : abundance, profusion

… Grand Cayman offers a plethora of bustling restaurants, ritzy resorts and comfortable condos …

—Susanne Cummings

… a world whose credibility is threatened by the meaningless plethora of material goods it goes on producing.

—W. Roy Niblett

2

: a bodily condition characterized by an excess of blood and marked by turgescence and a florid complexion

plethoric

plə-ˈthȯr-ik 

ple-

-ˈthär-;

ˈple-thə-rik

adjective

Did you know?

Plethora comes from a similar Greek word meaning "fullness." It was first used in English in the 16th century to describe a supposed medical condition marked by an excess volume of blood causing swelling and a reddish complexion. Later, the medical use of "plethora" was extended to indicate related medical conditions (such as an excess volume of bodily fluid or the red-skinned appearance of some newborns). These days, however, "plethora" is more often used in a general, non-medical sense, with the meaning "excess" or "abundance."

Synonyms

• abundance
• cornucopia
• feast
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• superabundance
• wealth

Examples of plethora in a Sentence

There has been a plethora of plays in recent years whose claim to modernity is based on indicated rather than felt emotion. —Arthur Miller, Harper's, March 1999

The plethora of short-lived ceasefires in the Balkans and the Caucasus constitute proof that we are no longer in a world where the old rules of state warfare apply. —Robert D. Kaplan, Atlantic, February 1994

… served at the long plank table in the banquet hut, amid a plethora of toasts to progress, amity, and the overthrow of imperialism—the meal passed in a blur. —John Updike, Trust Me, (1962) 1987

In their view, there are the very few hard-pressed good guys losing the landscape to a plethora of bad guys. —Carol Bly, Letters from the Country, 1981

A plethora of books have been written on the subject.

a biology textbook that is helpfully illustrated with a plethora of excellent illustrations

Recent Examples on the Web

Conceived by Major Food Group—the culinary operation behind New York’s hottest reservation, Carbone, and the members-only ZZ’s Club—the restaurant blends Japanese design elements, moody lighting, and a plethora of large-screen TVs. —John Vorwald, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024

Here’s betting it’s positioned in one of the DCA expansion areas near the Pixar Place Hotel, as that would allow the company to give the James Cameron property a plethora of space, especially if Disney must hide a large show building behind an illusion of floating mountains. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Greek plēthōra, literally, fullness, from plēthein to be full — more at full

First Known Use

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Medical Definition

plethora

noun

pleth·​o·​ra ˈpleth-ə-rə 

: a bodily condition characterized by an excess of blood and marked by turgescence and a reddish complexion

plethoric

plə-ˈthȯr-ik  ple- 

-ˈthär-; ˈpleth-ə-rik

adjective