Dictionary

prolific en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˌpɹoʊˈlɪf.ɪk/ (Canada, US)
• /pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/ (Canada, US)
• audio Maryland
• /pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/ (Australia, UK)

Etymology

First use appears c. 1635. From French prolifique and its etymon Latin prōlificus, from prōlēs (“offspring”) + -ficus (“making”).

Meanings

1. Fertile; producing offspring or fruit in abundance, applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.
2. Similarly producing results or performing deeds in abundance.
   • A Chinese PhD student who is "one of the most prolific predators" in the UK has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 24 years. 2025 June 19, “Student who raped 10 women jailed for 24 years”, in bbc.com:
   • The most obvious beneficiary of the visitors' superiority was Frank Lampard. By the end of the night he was perched 13th in the list of England's most prolific goalscorers, having leapfrogged Sir Geoff Hurst to score his 24th and 25th international goals. No other player has managed more than the Chelsea midfielder's 11 in World Cup qualification ties, with this a display to roll back the years. 2012 September 7, Dominic Fifield, “England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova”, in The Guardian:
   • However appealing Antibes may be to migrant authors, indigenous ones are relatively scarce. A notable exception is Jacques Audiberti, Antibes-born novelist and prolific playwright who wrote in the turn-of-the-century surrealist style, with titles that translate as Slaughter, or In Favour of Infanticide. 2007, Ted Jones, The French Riviera: A Literary Guide for Travellers, page 58:
3. Of a flower: from which another flower is produced.
4. Copious; plentiful; abundant.
   • The prolific bird life around the Inlet was thinning out but grey rosellas and zebras and painted finches made the bush merry[.] 1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 202:

Forms

Deriveds

prolifically · antiprolific · nonprolific · prolificacy · prolification · overprolific · prolificity · unprolific · prolificness · hyperprolific · improlific

Synonyms

fecund (producing offspring or fruit in abundance) · fertile

Translations (75)

sh plodan (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · de produktiv (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · ru продукти́вный (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · he יצרני (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · fr prolifique (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · ru плодови́тый (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · ru оби́льный (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · ru плодови́тый (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · nl vruchtbaar (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · it produttivo (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · fi satoisa (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · de fruchtbar (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · cy toreithiog (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · pdt fruchtboa (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · uk продукти́вний (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · tr yediveren (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · pt prolífico (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · ca prolífic (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · sh plodan (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · mi hāwere (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · it fecondo (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · es prolífico (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · he שופע (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · tr bereketli (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · fr prolifique (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · sh obilan (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · da frugtbar (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · sh плодан (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · da produktiv (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · nl productief (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · tr mahsûldar (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · pt prolífico (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · ga rafar (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · ga bisiúil (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · tr münbit (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · cy epiliog (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · tr velüt (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · bg плодороден (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · ga torthúil (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · no suksessrik (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · it prolifico (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · sh обилан (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · mi huākumu (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · tr bereketli (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · sh родан (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · pt frutífero (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · fr fécond (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · tr doğurgan (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · sh plodonosan (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · mi tōnui (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · cy hiliog (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · he פורה (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · tr üretken (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · ru плодоно́сный (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · ro prolific (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · fi tuottoisa (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · sh плодан (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · sv produktiv (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · cmn 高产的 (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · tr verimli (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · it fruttifero (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · cy cynhyrchiol (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · pl wyborowy (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · it prolifico (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · ca prolífic (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · ru урожа́йный (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · sh rodan (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · fi tuottelias (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · fi hedelmällinen (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · cy epilgar (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · bg продуктивен (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · pl płodny (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · es prolífico (Similarly producing results or works in abundance) · pt fértil (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance) · tr verimli (Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance)