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Synonym Chooser

How is the word fruitful distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of fruitful are fecund, fertile, and prolific. While all these words mean "producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit," fruitful adds to fertile and fecund the implication of desirable or useful results.

fruitful research

When is fecund a more appropriate choice than fruitful?

The words fecund and fruitful can be used in similar contexts, but fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring.

a fecund herd

In what contexts can fertile take the place of fruitful?

In some situations, the words fertile and fruitful are roughly equivalent. However, fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth; applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development.

fertile soil
a fertile imagination

When would prolific be a good substitute for fruitful?

The meanings of prolific and fruitful largely overlap; however, prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction.

a prolific writer

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fruitful Starkey is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Maureen Starkey, and has also enjoyed a fruitful career outside of The Who, playing with Oasis, Johnny Marr, Paul Weller and Graham Coxon. Sophie Williams, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2025 Last year, there were 52, according to Fortune. Buffett’s bet on Graham and the newspaper proved fruitful. Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 13 May 2025 The extra-long dress turned out to be the most fruitful look ever in meme-terms, inspiring some very funny Internet reactions. Vogue, 6 May 2025 This approach immediately proved fruitful — on day one, Lee and Platts knocked out the instrumentals for three tracks that made it onto Pleasure, including the first two singles. Elias Leight, Billboard, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for fruitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fruitful
Adjective
  • Incubators aren’t just a fertile ground for entrepreneurs.
    Rhett Power, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
  • This provided fertile ground for Simion, who has continued to court the MAGA world.
    Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • It's powered by the fast and efficient S10 chip and boasts tons of health, fitness, and lifestyle features, including GPS workout recording, ECG, sleep and cycle tracking, music, podcast, and third-party app support.
    Cierra Cowan, PC Magazine, 24 May 2025
  • Life hacks are methods for making daily tasks easier, more efficient, or more enjoyable.
    Paul McClure May 24, New Atlas, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • Kaplan is a journalist, former editor-in-chief of the Sunday newspaper supplement Parade magazine, and a prolific author.
    Aliza Knox, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
  • At Ambulance and Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain producer Dragonfly, which is one of the UK’s most prolific factual producers, Bond oversaw factual dramas including the BBC and Netflix’s Then Barbara Met Alan, which was written by Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne and Genevieve Barr.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • Rather than finding an effective means to stop LLMs from following instructions included in untrusted content—something no one has managed to do yet—GitLab is mitigating the harm that can result from this behavior.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 23 May 2025
  • The Bank’s second incarnation, run by Nicholas Biddle, scion of a prominent Philadelphia family and Princeton valedictorian, was even more sophisticated and effective than the first.
    Time, Time, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • But the vernacular and ahistorical images are what give the show its rich, tangy flavor.
    Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 24 May 2025
  • Even a short pitstop could make a big difference to Americans in uniform: NORTHEAST The Northeast is rich with military history.
    Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • The pandemic taught companies that employees working at home could still be productive.
    Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
  • Nor can discussions be productive without acknowledging the existence of both parties’ perspectives.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fruitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fruitful. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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