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
Rayna Reid Rayford2
: producing young or fruit especially freely : fruitful
The half-inch blooms are round and prolific, borne atop leafy stems.—Adrian Higgins
Adrian Higgins3
archaic
: causing abundant growth, generation, or reproduction
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
Here there are … restaurants, wine bars, bookshops, estate agents more prolific than doctors, and attractive people in black, few of them aging.
—Hanif Kureishi, Granta 22, Autumn 1987
a famously prolific author who could produce several works of fiction and nonfiction a year
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
Here there are … restaurants, wine bars, bookshops, estate agents more prolific than doctors, and attractive people in black, few of them aging.
—Hanif Kureishi, Granta 22, Autumn 1987
a famously prolific author who could produce several works of fiction and nonfiction a year
Recent Examples on the Web
With a bottomless well of ideas, relentless encouragement, and a grin that only seems to widen by the season, the Wichita, Kansas, native runs TV’s most prolific reality competition series as the most benevolent of dictators.
—David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Samsung Leans Into Displays Samsung also had a prolific CES, starting with the new Galaxy Book6 laptop series.
—Anshel Sag, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The prolific music-video partnership has collaborated with artists including Bad Bunny, Rosalía, J Balvin, Madonna, Travis Scott, and The Weeknd.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
The company operates natural gas assets throughout the Appalachian Basin, one of North America’s most prolific gas-producing regions.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prolific
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David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Samsung Leans Into Displays Samsung also had a prolific CES, starting with the new Galaxy Book6 laptop series.
—Anshel Sag, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The prolific music-video partnership has collaborated with artists including Bad Bunny, Rosalía, J Balvin, Madonna, Travis Scott, and The Weeknd.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
The company operates natural gas assets throughout the Appalachian Basin, one of North America’s most prolific gas-producing regions.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prolific
Cite this Entry
“Prolific.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prolific. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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