plentiful

plentiful — adjective

1. present in such a big quantity that people can easily get, use, or find it.

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

present in such a big quantity that people can easily get, use, or find it.

Example

Fresh mangoes are plentiful at the night market in July.

be plentiful + place/time

After heavy spring rain, wild flowers became plentiful on the hillside.

became plentiful after a change

Common collocations
  • plentiful harvest
  • plentiful rainfall
  • plentiful supply
  • plentiful evidence
Synonyms
  • abundant

    very close in meaning, but often sounds slightly more formal

  • ample

    stresses that there is enough or more than enough for a purpose

  • numerous

    used mainly with countable things, not uncountable ones like water

Antonyms
  • scarce

    means hard to find or not enough

  • limited

    stresses that the amount is restricted

Grammar Patterns

plentiful + noun

be plentiful

Usage Note

Often used with things that can exist or be supplied in large quantities, such as food, water, jobs, rain, or evidence. In everyday conversation, many speakers use 'plenty of' before a noun more often than 'plentiful'.

Common Mistakes

There were plentiful of seats on the bus.
Seats on the bus were plentiful.
'plentiful' does not take 'of' before a noun.

Word family

  • plenty
    nounA2
  • plentifully
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Plentiful suggests that something exists in a large amount and is easy to get. Abundant is very close, but it often sounds a little more formal and can suggest richness or overflow, especially with food, money, or plant life. Ample usually focuses on having enough, or more than enough, for a need or purpose. Numerous is mainly for countable things such as visitors, houses, or mistakes, so it does not fit nouns like water or rice. You can say plentiful rain, abundant wildlife, ample time, and numerous tourists. A simple memory aid is this: plentiful means a lot is available, while ample means enough for the job.

plentiful ↗abundant ↗ample ↗numerous ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a plentiful supply of
  • be plentiful in

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Plentiful was formed in Middle English from plenty and the adjective ending -ful. Plenty came into English through French from a Latin source connected with fullness. The modern word keeps the idea of having a large amount of something available.