plenty

1 of 4

pronoun

plen·​ty ˈplen-tē 

singular or plural in construction

: an adequate or more than adequate number or amount of something : a number or amount of something that is enough for a particular purpose

had plenty of time to finish the job

plenty of room

I don't need more. I have plenty.

There's plenty to do/see here.

plenty

2 of 4

noun

: an abundance especially of material things that permit a satisfactory life : a condition or time of abundance

a feeling of plenty

a land of plenty

a season of plenty

plenty

3 of 4

adjective

1

: plentiful in amount, number, or supply

if reasons were as plenty as blackberries

—William Shakespeare

2

: ample

plenty work to be done

—Time

Using Plenty as an Adjective: Usage Guide

Many commentators object to use of sense 2 in writing; it appears to be limited chiefly to spoken English. Sense 1 is literary but is no longer in common use.

plenty

4 of 4

adverb

: more than sufficiently : to a considerable degree

the nights were plenty cold

—F. B. Gipson

Using Plenty as an Adverb: Usage Guide

Many handbooks advise avoiding the adverb plenty in writing; "use very, quite, or a more precise word," they advise. Actually plenty is often a more precise word than its recommended replacements; very, fully, or quite will not work as well in these typical quotations.

it's already plenty hot for us in the kitchen without some dolt opening the oven

—C. H. Bridges

may not be rising quite as rapidly as other health costs, but it is going up plenty fast

—Changing Times

It is not used in more formal writing.

Phrases

in plenty

: present or existing in large amounts : in abundance

There were eggs in plenty not far off, in the hen house.

—Robert C. O'Brien

… academics can cite evidence in plenty … to justify their skepticism.

—Peter Green

Synonyms

Noun

• abundance
• cornucopia
• feast
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plethora
• superabundance
• wealth

Adjective

• abundant
• ample
• aplenty
• bounteous
• bountiful
• comfortable
• cornucopian
• galore
• generous
• liberal
• plenteous
• plentiful

Examples of plenty in a Sentence

Noun

They thought of America as the land of plenty.

you'll have plenty of time to make your connecting flight

Adjective

we've picked plenty blueberries, so there'll be some left over after we make the pie

Adverb

There's plenty more where that came from.

The car is plenty large enough to fit six people.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

After months of campaigning, a candidate swap and plenty more news, Election Day is here and votes are being counted. —Fernando Cervantes Jr., The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024

And Valor Christian has plenty more speed and size around him. —Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2024

But there's plenty more to talk about: big-money-politics in school board races, some Statehouse districts up for grabs as Democrats hope to break the Republican supermajority, and more. —Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Nov. 2024

During her Weekends With Adele residency in Las Vegas, pop superstar Adele has met VIPs such as Hillary Clinton, Jennifer Lopez and plenty more. —Stephen Daw, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun

Middle English plente, borrowed from Anglo-French plenté, adaptation as quantifier of plenté "abundance, plenty entry 2"

Noun

Middle English plente "abundance, fullness," borrowed from Anglo-French plenté, pleinté "abundance, bounty" (also continental Old & Middle French), going back to Latin plēnitāt-, plēnitās "fullness to saturation," from plēnus "full" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at full entry 1

Adjective

Middle English plente, adaptation as quantifier of plenté "abundance, plenty entry 2"

Adverb

derivative of plenty entry 1

First Known Use

Pronoun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1775, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing plenty

• enough/plenty to go around
• enough/plenty to go round
• horn of plenty
• many/plenty more fish in the sea

Kids Definition

plenty

1 of 2 noun

plen·​ty ˈplent-ē 

1

a

: a full supply

had plenty of time to finish

b

: a large number or amount

is in plenty of trouble

2

: the state of being plentiful

times of plenty

plenty

2 of 2 adverb

: quite sense 2

the game was plenty exciting