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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 The 1970s were an incredibly fruitful time for Keaton thanks in part to her ongoing collaboration with Allen in both comedic and dramatic roles. Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025 The resulting relationship proved a fruitful one—though this doesn’t mean that designing a collaborative collection was easy. Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2025 Dafoe, who’d been itching to work with the Argentine filmmaker for quite some time, clearly relished the chance to make this collaboration a fruitful one. Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025 Paleontological excavations at this site have previously been fruitful, according to the study, with animals ranging from mollusks to iguanian lizards to dinosaur giants like titanosaurs discovered buried in the sediment. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fruitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fruitful
Adjective
  • Plant the tubers 4 to 6 inches deep in loose, fertile, well-draining soil with the sprouts facing up.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
  • But Jerry realized that their contrasting features, backgrounds and personalities made fertile ground for comedy, and Stiller & Meara was born.
    Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Upcycling solid wastes This technique provides a versatile, scalable, and efficient strategy for upcycling solid wastes into high-performance materials for environmental and energy catalysis, as per the study.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Many restaurants already outsourced their human resources or legal or design to third parties; outsourcing delivery just seemed efficient.
    Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • An Arlington mom who was inspired to become a prolific blood donor after her 14-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer is being honored for her donations.
    Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The Great Bambino was his era’s most prolific home run hitter and started his career as one of the game’s best pitchers as well.
    Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Diagonal passes to onrushing full-backs has proven to be another effective route around the high defensive line, as Inter targeted Denzel Dumfries with 14 long balls out to his flank across the two-legged Champions League semi-final tie with Barcelona last season.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Ford said after talking with Prime Minister Mark Carney he’s decided to pause the advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume.
    Rob Gillies, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The magic behind this set is its 100% mulberry silk design, which keeps you feeling cool, clean, and rich all night long.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Equally important is soil microbiology, treating soil as a living organism, rich with fungi, microbes, and nutrients that sustain everything above ground.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • For me, the challenge isn’t how to be more productive or move faster using AI.
    Big Think, Big Think, 23 Oct. 2025
  • In that game, Rozier finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists in that opening period — a productive quarter but well below his usual total output for a full game.
    Alanna Durkin Richer, Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fruitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fruitful. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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