plethora

noun

pleth·​o·​ra ˈple-thə-rə 

1

: an ample amount or number : abundance, profusion

… Grand Cayman offers a plethora of bustling restaurants, ritzy resorts and comfortable condos …

—Susanne Cummings

… a world whose credibility is threatened by the meaningless plethora of material goods it goes on producing.

—W. Roy Niblett

2

: a bodily condition characterized by an excess of blood and marked by turgescence and a florid complexion

plethoric

plə-ˈthȯr-ik 

ple-

-ˈthär-;

ˈple-thə-rik

adjective

Did you know?

Plethora was first used in English to refer to a medical condition marked by an excess volume of blood or other bodily fluid, with associated swelling and redness. (Its Greek ancestor, the noun plēthṓra, refers to a similar excess, or to general fullness or crowdedness.) These days, plethora is most often used in general contexts to refer to a large number or amount of something. While plethora conveys a plural meaning, it is a grammatically singular word, which makes choosing whether to pair it with a singular or plural verb confusing. Both can be correctly used, however; choose the singular if you wish to emphasize the grouping or collection ("a plethora of books is available"), and choose the plural if you wish to emphasize the individual elements or components ("a plethora of books have been written on the subject").

Synonyms

• abundance
• cornucopia
• feast
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• superabundance
• wealth

Examples of plethora in a Sentence

There has been a plethora of plays in recent years whose claim to modernity is based on indicated rather than felt emotion. —Arthur Miller, Harper's, March 1999

The plethora of short-lived ceasefires in the Balkans and the Caucasus constitute proof that we are no longer in a world where the old rules of state warfare apply. —Robert D. Kaplan, Atlantic, February 1994

… served at the long plank table in the banquet hut, amid a plethora of toasts to progress, amity, and the overthrow of imperialism—the meal passed in a blur. —John Updike, Trust Me, (1962) 1987

In their view, there are the very few hard-pressed good guys losing the landscape to a plethora of bad guys. —Carol Bly, Letters from the Country, 1981

A plethora of books have been written on the subject.

a biology textbook that is helpfully illustrated with a plethora of excellent illustrations

Recent Examples on the Web

Devils control first overtime New Jersey had a plethora of chances in the opening overtime. —Peter Baugh, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

With eight picks in this draft and a total of 20 over the next two years heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, Philadelphia had a plethora of resources. —Jeff Fedotin, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

From small bistro sets to weather-resistant benches to chaise lounges, Amazon has a plethora of outdoor furniture for your space, no matter how big or small. —Toni Sutton, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025

At present, the luxury-car market is spoiling us, and our committed skincare regimen, with a startling plethora of quick, sporting, and sybaritic six-figure droptops. —Brett Berk, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin plēthōra, plētūra "fullness, overabundance of a humor," borrowed from Greek plēthṓra (Ionic plēthṓrē) "fullness, crowdedness (of a marketplace at peak hour), excess of a humor or blood," from plēth-, base of plḗthein "to be full" + -ōra, -ōrē, probably dissimilated variant of -ōlē, suffix of deverbal nouns; plḗthein going back to Indo-European *pléh₁-d^h-, extended form of the verbal base *pleh₁- "become full," with *-d^h- marking a completed state — more at full entry 1

Note: The base *pléh₁-d^h- is also evident in Greek plēthȳ́s "great number, multitude, crowd" (compare plebs), plêthos "great number, mass, crowd," plēthȳ́nesthai "to increase in number" (see plethysmograph).

First Known Use

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Medical Definition

plethora

noun

pleth·​o·​ra ˈpleth-ə-rə 

: a bodily condition characterized by an excess of blood and marked by turgescence and a reddish complexion

plethoric

plə-ˈthȯr-ik  ple- 

-ˈthär-; ˈpleth-ə-rik

adjective