- producing fruit, offspring, etc, in abundance
- producing constant or successful results
- often followed by in or of: rich or fruitful
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
pro•lif•ic /prəˈlɪfɪk/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- producing offspring, young, fruit, etc., rapidly or in great numbers:a prolific species of plant.
- highly productive:a prolific writer.
pro•lif•ic
(prə lif′ik),USA pronunciation adj.
pro•lif•i•ca•cy
(prə lif′i kə sē),USA pronunciation pro•li•fic•i•ty
(prō′lə fis′i tē),USA pronunciation pro•lif′ic•ness, n.
pro•lif′i•cal•ly, adv.
- producing offspring, young, fruit, etc., abundantly; highly fruitful:a prolific pear tree.
- producing in large quantities or with great frequency;
highly productive:a prolific writer. - profusely productive or fruitful (often fol. by in or of ):a bequest prolific of litigations.
- characterized by abundant production:a prolific year for tomatoes.
- Medieval Latin prōlificus fertile. See prolicide, -fic
- 1640–50
- 1, 2. teeming, fecund, abundant. See productive.
- 1. barren.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
prolific /prəˈlɪfɪk/, prolifical /prəˈlɪfɪkəl/ adj
'prolificacy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):