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 This latest health scare comes amid a particularly prolific era for the genre-blurring star. Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025 Dent is a prolific scorer and talented passer. Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025 The staff joked that Big Papi, a prolific breeder, was Strickland’s boyfriend. Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025 Ladd enjoyed a prolific career on stage and screen. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prolific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prolific
Adjective
  • For instance, the Bangladesh delta, one of the most fertile and densely populated areas in the world, is already experiencing problems, including salinity intrusion, rising sea levels and the loss of arable land.
    Pintu Kumar Mahla, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Parsley needs fertile, well-draining soil.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The world outside me was big and rich with far more important and grave matters.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Advertisement Mamdani’s political success is largely credited to a media-savvy campaign that centered affordability in one of the world’s most expensive cities, with Mamdani vowing to levy New York’s ultra-rich to pay for childcare, transportation, and even grocery stores.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prolific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prolific. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on prolific

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!