ample

ample — adjective

1. describing an amount, area, or supply that is large enough to comfortably cover

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing an amount, area, or supply that is large enough to comfortably cover what is needed, with some left over.

Example

The new library gives students ample space to spread out their books and laptops.

ample + space (room collocation)

Mei left home early so she would have ample time to find the concert hall.

ample + time (most frequent collocation)

Common collocations
  • ample time
  • ample space
  • ample room
  • ample evidence
  • ample opportunity
  • ample supply
  • more than ample
Synonyms
  • plentiful

    everyday word; works with countable and uncountable nouns alike

  • abundant

    stronger; suggests an overflowing supply, often of natural resources

  • sufficient

    neutral; only means 'just enough', not 'more than enough'

Antonyms
  • insufficient

    formal opposite; not enough to meet a need

  • scant

    literary; barely any at all

Grammar Patterns

ample + noun (time, space, evidence, opportunity)

Usage Note

Almost always sits before a noun, not after a linking verb (you say 'ample time', not 'the time was ample'). Common nouns are time, space, room, evidence, opportunity, and supply.

Common Mistakes

The room was ample for ten people.
The room was big enough for ten people.
'ample' usually goes before a noun, not after 'be'.
I have ample friends in Taipei.
I have plenty of friends in Taipei.
'ample' is used with uncountable nouns or abstract amounts, not with countable people.

2. used as a polite or flattering way to describe a person's body, or part of it, a

2.adjectiveC2
Definition

used as a polite or flattering way to describe a person's body, or part of it, as rounded and generous in size rather than slim.

Example

Aunt Beatrice greeted me with a warm hug and her ample bosom nearly knocked off my glasses.

ample + bosom (classic euphemism)

The tailor adjusted the silk dress to flatter Mrs. Okafor's ample figure.

ample + figure (polite description)

Common collocations
  • ample figure
  • ample bosom
  • ample hips
  • ample waistline
  • ample frame
Synonyms
  • buxom

    specifically of women, focused on the chest area

  • full-figured

    modern, polite alternative often used in fashion and clothing sizes

  • rotund

    more humorous; suggests a roundly plump shape, often of older men

Antonyms
  • slender

    polite opposite; thin in an attractive way

  • slight

    describes a small, narrow build

Grammar Patterns

ample + body-part noun (figure, bosom, hips, frame)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense only describes human bodies or body parts (figure, bosom, hips, frame, waistline), and carries a softer, often complimentary tone where 'fat' or 'large' would feel rude. Almost always pre-modifies a body-part noun.

Common Mistakes

He has an ample stomach problem.
He has a big stomach problem.
sense 2 describes the size of a body part, not the seriousness of an issue.
She felt ample after the meal.
She felt full after the meal.
'ample' does not describe how a person feels; it describes shape or amount.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe quantities that meet or exceed a need, but they sit at different levels of formality and emphasis. 'Sufficient' is the most neutral — it simply means 'just enough', with no suggestion of surplus, and is common in technical or official writing. 'Ample' goes a step further: it implies enough with comfortable room to spare, and tends to appear before specific nouns like 'time', 'space', or 'evidence'. 'Plentiful' is the most everyday choice and works freely with countable items, such as 'plentiful jobs' or 'plentiful rain'. 'Abundant' is the strongest, painting a picture of overflowing supply, and is often used for natural resources or wildlife. Compare: 'sufficient funds' (just enough to pay), 'ample funds' (more than needed), 'plentiful funds' (lots available), 'abundant funds' (an overflowing pool).

ample ↗plentiful ↗abundant ↗sufficient ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • more than ample
  • perfectly ample
  • quite ample

Phrases

  • ample time to do something
  • ample opportunity to do something
  • in ample supply

Prepositions

  • ample for (a purpose)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Ample' arrived in late Middle English from Old French 'ample', which itself came from Latin 'amplus', meaning 'large, spacious, or generous'. The Latin root carried a sense of physical roominess, and English took the word in two directions: a general sense of 'plenty of something' and, by the seventeenth century, a softer sense describing a person's rounded build. Both meanings still preserve the original idea of generous size.