fruitful

1 of 2

adjective

fruit·​ful ˈfrüt-fəl How to pronounce fruitful (audio)
Synonyms of fruitful
1
a
: yielding or producing fruit
fruitful soil
b
: conducive to an abundant yield
fruitful rain
2
: abundantly productive
a fruitful discussion
a fruitful career
fruitfully
ˈfrüt-fə-lē How to pronounce fruitful (audio)
adverb
fruitfulness noun

fruitfulness

2 of 2

noun

fruit·​ful·​ness
plural -es
: the quality or state of being fruitful
the fruitfulness of this type of research—Edward Sapir

Synonyms of fruitful

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Adjective

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Choose the Right Synonym for fruitful

fertile, fecund, fruitful, prolific mean producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit.

fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth

fertile soil

; applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development.

a fertile imagination

fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring.

a fecund herd

fruitful adds to fertile and fecund the implication of desirable or useful results.

fruitful research

prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction.

a prolific writer

Examples of fruitful in a Sentence

Adjective We had a fruitful discussion about the problems with the schedule. a very fruitful tree that gives us plenty of apples every year
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Signing him to a lengthy deal that would have kept him on the book into his 40s didn’t seem fruitful either. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026 Those poker lessons have proven to be particularly fruitful. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 20 June 2026 Still, this year’s crop of unrestricted free agents is less fruitful than usual, thanks to a second straight summer of a catapulted salary cap. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 28 June 2026 King/Drew fearing no one This has been a fruitful summer for King/Drew of the City Section. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fruitful

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English fruitful, fruiteful, frutefull, from fruit, frute fruit entry 1 + -ful, -full -ful entry 1

Noun

Middle English fruitfulnes, from fruitful + -nes -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fruitful was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing fruitful

Rhymes for fruitful

See All Rhymes for fruitful

Browse Nearby Words

fruit fly
fruitful
fruitfully
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Cite this Entry

“Fruitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruitful. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

fruitful

adjective
fruit·​ful ˈfrüt-fəl How to pronounce fruitful (audio)
1
: yielding or producing fruit
2
a
: very productive
a fruitful soil
b
: bringing results
a fruitful idea
fruitfully
-fə-lē How to pronounce fruitful (audio)
adverb
fruitfulness noun

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