plen·ti·ful
\\ˈplen-ti-fəl\\ adjective DATE 15th century
1. containing or yielding plenty
a plentiful land2. characterized by, constituting, or existing in plenty
•
plen·ti·ful·ly \\-fə-lē\\
adverb
•
plen·ti·ful·ness nounSynonyms.
plentiful
,
ample
,
abundant
,
copious
mean more than sufficient without being excessive.
plentiful
implies a great or rich supply
peaches are plentiful this summer
ample
implies a generous sufficiency to satisfy a particular requirement
ample food to last the winter
abundant
suggests an even greater or richer supply than does
plentiful
streams abundant with fish
copious
stresses largeness of supply rather than fullness or richness
copious examples of bureaucratic waste plen·ti·ful
\ˈplentə̇fəl, -tēf-\
adjective1. : containing or yielding plenty
: fruitful
,
opulent
< a plentiful land >
< a plentiful supper of roast and boiled beef and mutton — W.H.Hudson †1922 >2. : characterized by, constituting, or existing in plenty
: numerous
< the deer are as plentiful as the vast wilderness will support — S.H.Holbrook >
< his religion … summoned him to serve the plentiful reform movements of the day — V.L.Parrington >Synonyms:
plenteous
,
ample
,
abundant
,
copious
: these adjectives have the common meaning of more than adequate or sufficient yet not in excess. That is
plentiful
or
plenteous
of which there is a rich or full, usually more than full, supply
< a plentiful supply of books >
< butter is cheap when it is plentiful, and dear when it is scarce — G.B.Shaw >
< aluminum, one of the world's most plentiful elements — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania >
< a plenteous number of individual poems — College English >
< a plenteous harvest — J.G.Frazer >
That is
ample
which is generously sufficient to satisfy a particular requirement
< manufacturers had ample supplies on hand to meet the emergency — Current Biography >
< provide ample opportunity for fieldwork with Indian tribes — D.G.Mandelbaum >
< ample proof of the power of words — advt >
abundant
suggests a greater or richer supply than does
plentiful
< her unselfish and abundant interests — Rex Ingamells >
< the many small denominational colleges so abundant throughout the Middle West — G.P.Merrill >
copious
, not quite interchangeable with
plentiful
, puts emphasis upon largeness of supply more than on fullness or richness
< his papers were copious and bizarre, and it took me nearly two hours to find the will — John Cheever >
< his copious flaxen curls — Richard Garnett †1906 >