Synonym Chooser

How is the word prolific distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of prolific are fecund, fertile, and fruitful. While all these words mean "producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit," prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction.

a prolific writer

When is fecund a more appropriate choice than prolific?

The meanings of fecund and prolific largely overlap; however, fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring.

a fecund herd

When is it sensible to use fertile instead of prolific?

The words fertile and prolific are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

How does the word fruitful relate to other synonyms for prolific?

Fruitful adds to fertile and fecund the implication of desirable or useful results.

fruitful research

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 prolific The teaser first airs on on the season 2 finale of The Walking Dead: Dead City, yet another spinoff of the prolific post-apocalyptic series adapted by Frank Darabont from the comic series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 23 June 2025 Now, as generative AI and AI agent use become more prolific, Schrage and I reconnected to discuss a tool that’s fast gaining traction in the enterprise: prompt-a-thons. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 June 2025 Summer annuals, both grasses and broadleaf, are the most prolific in the garden. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 June 2025 By that point, a narrative had emerged that Howland had changed his ways, forgoing the sort of grinders such as Mbah a Moute and Lorenzo Mata-Real who had fueled his early success in favor of more prolific scorers. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for prolific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prolific
Adjective
  • So the human quest for fertilizer—substances to make the soil fertile—followed fast on the heels of agriculture itself.
    Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 29 June 2025
  • In the Veneto region, vineyards stretch across gravelly river plains and fertile plains near the Adriatic Sea.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • This rich cream also has panthenol and niacinamide for a smooth and bouncy complexion.
    Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
  • Now, four years later, 40 square miles of river-floodplain wetlands are now rehydrated, rich wildlife is starting to come back, and the wild system proved its value during 2022’s Hurricane Ian.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Prolific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prolific. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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