profuse

adjective

pro·​fuse prə-ˈfyüs 

prō-

1

: pouring forth liberally : extravagant

profuse in their thanks

2

: exhibiting great abundance : bountiful

a profuse harvest

profusely adverb

profuseness noun

Synonyms

• copious
• galore
• gushing
• lavish
• riotous

Choose the Right Synonym for profuse

profuse, lavish, prodigal, luxuriant, lush, exuberant mean giving or given out in great abundance.

profuse implies pouring forth without restraint.

profuse apologies

lavish suggests an unstinted or unmeasured profusion.

a lavish party

prodigal implies reckless or wasteful lavishness threatening to lead to early exhaustion of resources.

prodigal spending

luxuriant suggests a rich and splendid abundance.

a luxuriant beard

lush suggests rich, soft luxuriance.

a lush green lawn

exuberant implies marked vitality or vigor in what produces abundantly.

an exuberant imagination

Examples of profuse in a Sentence

He offered profuse apologies for being late.

They were profuse in their thanks.

Recent Examples on the Web

Dodgers officials, however, have been profuse in their praise of Betts since the start of the season. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024

Snow Cone is unlike others, smothered in small but profuse white blooms. —Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 27 May 2021

The flowers were so profuse they could be seen from space. —The Editors, Town & Country, 19 Feb. 2021

Spatter cones, which are volcanic mounds built up on top of a vent or fissure emitting profuse amounts of lava, were confirmed to be vulnerable to collapse, suggesting they could be targeted in the future. —Robin George Andrews, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin profusus, past participle of profundere to pour forth, from pro- forth + fundere to pour — more at found

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

profuse

adjective

pro·​fuse prə-ˈfyüs 

1

: pouring forth in great amounts

profuse apologies

profuse in their thanks

2

: very plentiful

a profuse harvest

a profuse variety of minerals

profusely adverb