Meanings
comparative more prolific · superlative most prolific · alternative prolifick
- 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.com2 more examples
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 58The 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 - biologyOf a flower: from which another flower is produced.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveFertile; producing offspring or fruit in abundance, applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveintellectually productive
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinprōlificus
- Frenchprolifique
- Englishprolific
First use appears c. 1635. From French prolifique and its etymon Latin prōlificus, from prōlēs (“offspring”) + -ficus (“making”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian плодороден, продуктивен
- плодороден (plodoroden)Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- продуктивен (produktiven)Similarly producing results or works in abundance
Catalan prolífic, prolífic
- prolíficFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- prolíficSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Chinese Mandarin 高产的
- 高产的Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
Danish frugtbar, produktiv
- frugtbarFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- produktivSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Dutch vruchtbaar, productief
- vruchtbaarFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- productiefSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Finnish hedelmällinen, satoisa
- hedelmällinenFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- satoisaFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- tuotteliasSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
- tuottoisaSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
French fécond, prolifique
- fécondFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- prolifiqueFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- prolifiqueSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
German fruchtbar, produktiv
- fruchtbarFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- produktivSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Hebrew פורה, יצרני
- פורה (poré)Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- יצרני (yatsraní)Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- שופע (shoféa)Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
Irish bisiúil, torthúil
- bisiúilFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- torthúilFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- rafarSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Italian fecondo, fruttifero
- fecondoFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- fruttiferoFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- prolificoFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- prolificoSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
- produttivoSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Māori hāwere, huākumu
- hāwereFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- huākumuFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- tōnuiSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Norwegian suksessrik
- suksessrikSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Polish płodny, wyborowy
- płodnyFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- wyborowySimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Portuguese prolífico, frutífero
- prolíficoFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- frutíferoFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- fértilFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- prolíficoSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Romanian prolific
- prolificFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
Russian плодови́тый, плодоно́сный
- плодови́тый (plodovítyj)Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- плодоно́сный (plodonósnyj)Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- урожа́йный (urožájnyj)Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- оби́льный (obílʹnyj)Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- плодови́тый (plodovítyj)Similarly producing results or works in abundance
- продукти́вный (produktívnyj)Similarly producing results or works in abundance
Spanish prolífico, prolífico
- prolíficoFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- prolíficoSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Swedish produktiv
- produktivSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Turkish doğurgan, velüt
- doğurganFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- velütFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- bereketliFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- mahsûldarFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- verimliFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- münbitFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- bereketliSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
- üretkenSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
- verimliSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
- yediverenSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Ukrainian продукти́вний
- продукти́вний (produktývnyj)Similarly producing results or works in abundance
Welsh epiliog, epilgar
- epiliogFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- epilgarFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- hiliogFertile, producing offspring or fruit in great abundance
- cynhyrchiolSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
- toreithiogSimilarly producing results or works in abundance
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with prolific
Cite this entry
prolific. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prolific
“prolific.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prolific. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prolific,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prolific.
Source: prolific on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.