singular or plural in construction
: an adequate or more than adequate number or amount of something : a number or amount of something that is enough for a particular purpose
had plenty of time to finish the job
plenty of room
I don't need more. I have plenty.
There's plenty to do/see here.
: an abundance especially of material things that permit a satisfactory life : a condition or time of abundance
a feeling of plenty
a land of plenty
a season of plenty
Using Plenty as an Adjective: Usage Guide
Many commentators object to use of sense 2 in writing; it appears to be limited chiefly to spoken English. Sense 1 is literary but is no longer in common use.
: more than sufficiently : to a considerable degree
the nights were plenty cold—
F. B. Gipson
F. B. Gipson
Using Plenty as an Adverb: Usage Guide
Many handbooks advise avoiding the adverb plenty in writing; "use very, quite, or a more precise word," they advise. Actually plenty is often a more precise word than its recommended replacements; very, fully, or quite will not work as well in these typical quotations.
it's already plenty hot for us in the kitchen without some dolt opening the oven
—C. H. Bridges
C. H. Bridges
may not be rising quite as rapidly as other health costs, but it is going up plenty fast
—Changing Times
Changing Times
It is not used in more formal writing.
Phrases
in plenty
: present or existing in large amounts : in abundance
There were eggs in plenty not far off, in the hen house.—Robert C. O'Brien
Robert C. O'Brien… academics can cite evidence in plenty … to justify their skepticism.—Peter Green
Peter GreenExamples of plenty in a Sentence
Noun
They thought of America as the land of plenty.
you'll have plenty of time to make your connecting flight
Adjective
we've picked plenty blueberries, so there'll be some left over after we make the pie
Adverb
There's plenty more where that came from.
The car is plenty large enough to fit six people.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
But Lyon is plenty good enough to be at least a full-time backup in this league, and from that standpoint, coming back to Detroit as a No. 3 wouldn’t seem to make much sense for him.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 1 May 2025
And again, that's just the beginning, with plenty more glamping sites punctuating the state.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 30 Apr. 2025
The apron features a top bib pocket that, at 21 inches wide and 14 inches deep, is plenty big enough to hold a trowel or weeding tool.
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plenty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adverb
Now businesses have to contend with plenty more unknowns.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
But Lyon is plenty good enough to be at least a full-time backup in this league, and from that standpoint, coming back to Detroit as a No. 3 wouldn’t seem to make much sense for him.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 1 May 2025
And again, that's just the beginning, with plenty more glamping sites punctuating the state.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 30 Apr. 2025
The apron features a top bib pocket that, at 21 inches wide and 14 inches deep, is plenty big enough to hold a trowel or weeding tool.
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plenty
Cite this Entry
“Plenty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plenty. Accessed 8 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plenty
1 of 2 noun
plen·ty
ˈplent-ē 
1
a
: a full supply
had plenty of time to finish
b
: a large number or amount
is in plenty of trouble
2
: the state of being plentiful
times of plenty
plenty
2 of 2 adverb
: quite sense 2
the game was plenty exciting
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