QUESTION: Is the word "prolific" easily understood?

15 years ago

Prolific ... plentiful, doing something well, doing lots of something, etc

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Buddd

15 years ago

Hi Kevin,

I'll bet there's a picture of Steven Wagenheim attached to it.

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kemdev

15 years ago

If by 'Steven Wagenheim' you mean 'Jesse Kemmerer', then
yes, you'd be correct.

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Shannon Tani

15 years ago

a lot of (but someone or something doing the "a lot of")

Love,
Shannon

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Peter Soos

15 years ago

In growing abundance...not a rarity (kinda like weeds in my garden...LOL)

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Joel Gray

15 years ago

Kevin,

I would like to think that the majority of the member here would understand the meaning of the work prolific and depending on how it was used I think that it would mean something close to the following: proficient, professional, very good or above average...or something very similar anyway.

Joel

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Killer Joe 15 years ago

I don't think there's a spammer on the planet who doesn't understand the meaning of that word.

And since we're a target audience here, I'm sure we also understand it's ramifications better than most.

KJ
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seasoned

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Joel Gray

Kevin,

I would like to think that the majority of the member here would understand the meaning of the work prolific and depending on how it was used I think that it would mean something close to the following: proficient, professional, very good or above average...or something very similar anyway.

Joel

SEE, THIS is the problem with using a word like prolific. Frankly, when I started seeing it a LOT, I got upset because prolific DOES have the same meaning as Joel stated. it ALSO means plentiful, etc.... but it is not quite that simple. MAYBE that is why you wanted to use it but, eventually, words LOSE meaning because of such tricks. That is PROBABLY why so few here gave the correct definition.

Steve

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JazzOscar

15 years ago

I'll admit to being the dumb guy this time.

As someone not having english as my first language, prolific perhaps isn't among the words I use the most when writing english.

So, my immediate feeling was that it was the word used in conjuction with treatment to avoid some disease. Thinking it a little bit through though, I found that would be "profylactic".

My conclusion; Prolific might not be a word with an obvious meaning for many with english as their second or third language.

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seasoned

15 years ago

Originally Posted by JazzOscar

I'll admit to being the dumb guy this time.

As someone not having english as my first language, prolific perhaps isn't among the words I use the most when writing english.

So, my immediate feeling was that it was the word used in conjuction with treatment to avoid some disease. Thinking it a little bit through though, I found that would be "profylactic".

My conclusion; Prolific might not be a word with an obvious meaning for many with english as their second or third language.

I would normally have used that, but too many figure THEY write a lot, even when they don't, and use the word prolific, probably hoping to give them prestige, and the word is no longer REALLY meaningful to ENGLISH speakers. WHEN will it stop?

Steve

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Steven Wagenheim 15 years ago

That picture of me next to the definition is really OLD.

I should put up a new one someday.
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Richard Essi

15 years ago

Hi Kevin,

The word "prolific" brings to mind the following things:

1. Exceptionally gifted or talented
2. Someone or something that is CONSTANTLY increasing in value and production
3. The ability to make something exceptional hard or complicated look incredibly easy
4. Something that stands out and stays outside of the norm

Those are the words that come to mind when I think of the world "prolific".

Richard

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marciayudkin

15 years ago

Would I use the word though for example in a sales letter or in sales copy Kevin?

It depends on the audience, the target market of course.

If though you are worried that a good percentage of your readers or visitors will not be able to relate to this word well, then of course the obvious thing to suggest from me to you, is that you find an easier word that your readers or visitors will understand much more simply (use a thesaurus for this).

The same goes for anyone writing sales copy, articles, whatever - try to use simple words that absolutely anyone can understand.

Kevin,

One thing you can do is to look up "prolific" on SAT vocabulary lists.

If it's included, then it is not part of the average high school student's vocabulary.

And I agree with the comment above that familiarity depends on the audience. For runners or parrot tamers, it may not be a familiar word, but just about every aspiring writer knows the word.

Marcia Yudkin

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kkrueger

15 years ago

I think of rabbits

or hamsters

multiplying (LOL) Like the prolific rabbits in our garden..we have the weeds under control, now it's just the rabbits!

Seriously though...Prolific to me would mean being able to provide alot of material...like being a prolific writer. Or being able to develop products one right after another. Hope this helps.

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Simo

15 years ago

Something done in volume (i.e "she is a prolific spender") or with great drive. ("i.e she is a prolific telemarketer")

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TheRichJerksNet

15 years ago

Kevin,
Are you running around Licking Hamster Profiles Again!!!

James

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Lance K

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Kevin Riley

Friends, Warriors, countrymen, lend me your ears.

I want to use the word "prolific" for a new series I'm planning out right now. Could you take a moment and (without Googling the word) give me your impression of it's meaning? Just a sentence or two. I'll shower you with gratitude.

Kevin, you're pretty kick ass when it comes to naming products so I'll try to convey my question in a manner that doesn't draw the rath of the hamsters...

Is it being "easily understood" what you're really going for? Wouldn't it be better if it moved people? Only curious.

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Kevin Riley

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Lance K

Is it being "easily understood" what you're really going for? Wouldn't it be better if it moved people? Only curious.

LOL, you know me too well. I love using words that are not always in normal people's vocabulary (as some of my sales letters will attest) just because they sound so good to me.

Originally Posted by MarkAndrews IMCopywriting

The same goes for anyone writing sales copy, articles, whatever - try to use simple words that absolutely anyone can understand.

Do not use complicated words or expressions that might not be recognised for what they are straightaway.

Actually, I like to use the occasional complicated word even in sales letters. Sure, they may not be understood by all, but the context is.

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Palo Coyote 15 years ago

Prolific is a wonderful word and second only to concomitant!

(I love to use concomitant, it means, "with" only it's like twice as long as puny little 'with' it's a really a big word.)

I recently advised a client to put "huge" in front of the word "quantum", that's redundant (repititous) of course, but very few people understand that quantum can mean huge or great. Most people think it's the name of a StarShip, it probably is ("Scotty, Off the port bow, it's the StarShip Quantum Flux, she's a mighty ship Cap'n.)

Then there's plethora and paucity (plethora of advice and a paucity of assistance) plethora is kind of like Prolific (means a lot of something) and paucity is like a pauper or not much stuff. (Latin, roots, who can live with out them...oh, everyone, well anyway.)

Kevin Riley is your target market made up of College Professors in the Liberal Arts Division, "History of English Language" section?

For "Nascar Dads" Prolific might best be summed up as, "lots of stuff." As in, "He has a prolific collection of exhaust emission control devices at his recycle facility." OR, "That guy has a whole lot of used mufflers at his junk yard. Ya' got to get ya' some."

I love words like Prolific...I also love words like Rapscallion...Kevin you just might be a rapscallion for asking this question.

all my best,
Palo (means 'stick' in Spanish or Latin, the mother tongue)
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InternetM39482

15 years ago

Something on the lines of plentiful, in volume...

Yes, it's easily understandable for me.

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Ken Strong

15 years ago

It's not really a word that rolls off the tongue that easily or smoothly... and I think that's a more important consideration than whether people know what it means or not.

Your should be able to read your sales page out loud and have it sound like a casual conversation you're having with the guy on the next bar stool (or in your case, the guy on the next bar stool talking down to you on the floor

). Even though I think most people know what "prolific" means, I would hesitate to use it as a product or series name.

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Lance K

15 years ago

Originally Posted by KenStrong

It's not really a word that rolls off the tongue that easily or smoothly... and I think that's a more important consideration than whether people know what it means or not.

Your should be able to read your sales page out loud and have it sound like a casual conversation you're having with the guy on the next bar stool (or in your case, the guy on the next bar stool talking down to you on the floor

). Even though I think most people know what "prolific" means, I would hesitate to use it as a product or series name.

Ken,

You communicated what I was thinking much clearer than I did. That silly string hairdo must make you more articulate.

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Jason_V

15 years ago

When I think of prolific, I think of someone or something that is ahead of its time. Groundbreaking. Enlightened. Philosophical. These are some of the words I associate with prolific.

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Kay King 15 years ago

I'd know what you mean, Kevin. When a person is prolific he produces a great quantity of whatever it is he produces.

It's usually a positive comment though if the person is a prolific farter it might lose something in the translation.

kay
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Diana Lane

15 years ago

When my kids were babies, I used to call them 'Prolific producers of pongy Pampers' when I was changing them (usually while gasping for breath at the same time

). I think they all knew what it meant before they were two. I thought most people did.

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Kazooli

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Diana Lane

When my kids were babies, I used to call them 'Prolific producers of pongy Pampers' when I was changing them (usually while gasping for breath at the same time

). I think they all knew what it meant before they were two. I thought most people did.

I even smelled it here the way you described it

. I like the word prolific but somehow a bad smell is now attached to it

Sincerely,
Kazooli.

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J. Barry Mandel

15 years ago

I will give you 2 words "wide spread", but that's only because I had to think about it

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Stephen Crooks 15 years ago

For me is means very successful at a certain skill - a "prolific goalscorer" is a phrase that comes to mind in football or soccer as my friends over the pond call it.
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CDarklock

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Kevin Riley

I want to use the word "prolific" for a new series

Will the next series be prochoicic? You know, just to be fair?

Sorry, I'll leave now.

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Jag82

15 years ago

When I hear "prolific", I think of Samuel Eto.
For those who watch soccer (Spanish soccer), he is always
one of the top goal scorers every season.

Therefore, "prolific" means accomplishing plenty of something.
Someone who churns out something at great speed/efficiency.

In terms of nouns, I think of prolific writer...prolific goal scorer...prolific
product creator...and so on...

Jag

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lotsofsnow

15 years ago

no clue what it means.

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BillyBee

15 years ago

Every time I hear the word "prolific" I think of Joyce Carol Oates or the late John Updike. Both of them were machines . . . and they both wrote some great stuff.

However, I'd be very hesitant to use that word to name a product or as part of a big headline.

Don't know what market you're aiming for, but I'd be willing to bet that far less than half the American public could adequately define that word if stopped on the street.

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Doiron

15 years ago

I think most people here know what it means. But does the great unwashed? I suspect it's a word commonly misunderstood by the average person.

So I guess it boils down to the target audience. Personally, in a business context, I don't think you can go wrong by underestimating your readers.

When in doubt, leave it out.

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giliav

15 years ago

Being a non-native English speaker I admit I do know the meaning of the word yet if I hear that as a product/series name I would probably be clueless as to what it's about.

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Mike Hill

15 years ago

Wait.. let me ask my 12 year old son because if he doesn't understand it then I wouldn't use it, unless it was to a professional crowd.

Mike Hill

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TimGross

15 years ago

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Kevin Riley 15 years ago

Ooops! I seem to have used up my daily quota on the "Thanks" button. I shall thank the rest tomorrow, if the gods restore my button.
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Kevin Riley, long-time Warrior living in Osaka, Japan
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Sagar Mehta

15 years ago

Hello Kevin,

I've seen it used with the word 'writer' usually.

Say, "So&So is a prolific writer who has been writing..."

To me, it has always meant something positive and someone who's an 'expert' of sorts.

Regards,
Sagar

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Hasan Barbary 15 years ago

Whenever Kevin writes one of his thought-provoking posts, the responses are almost always prolific. Yes, the word is easily understood (by me, and most writer-types). There have been several good comments already about your intended audience, so I won't rehash those. I think you should stick to it, mostly because, imho, there aren't many good synonyms. 'Prolific' to me, suggests abundance of a specific kind ~ creative abundance, or procreative abundance. The word is best applied to making babies or making works of art, or even making IM products. What would you say instead: 'fertile'? 'fecund'?? 'fruitful'??? At least profilic keeps your copy family-friendly!
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Kirahster

15 years ago

I don't think that I knew what they word meant until a year ago when a friend of mine said "Irish people are very prolific" I asked her what she meant and she said that she meant Irish people have lots of babies.

Then on the forum I often hear Steven Wagenheim described as prolific.

From this I think that prolific means fruitful. Somebody that produces a lot of something with ease. It comes naturally to them and a huge effort would have to be made to stop the flow of what they are producing.

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I.M.Retired

15 years ago

Being in favor of, or a supporter of 'Lifics.'

Groan

<repents quickly>

Okay - first impression is 'lots of' or abundance.

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Doug

15 years ago

I had an uncle who many years ago asked me if I was still dating one particular lady, my answer was 'no' and he responded..."you are rather prolific."

He caught me off-guard with that one, speechless actually. Funny how some comments, out of the blue, can really make a guy think.

My twist on the definition of prolific is any activity that produces a desirable return.

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John M Kane

15 years ago

A high paid Professional in the L.I.F.I.C. sports league? Luge Is Fun In Candy

Oft confused with a Unionized "Lift It" laborer usually found hauling shingles up a ladder onto a roof.

Or a Profusely Productive Purveyor of PLR Products

Pro Lift Fit= a Professional Bra fitter with hiccups

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Rod Cortez

15 years ago

Abundance; able to produce a lot; doing something with high frequency....

And lastly, it means I drink a lot of coffee.

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Ross Bowring

15 years ago

Kevin, when I hear "prolific" I think of a prolific writer... or inventor. Someone who is very productive.

That said, I do think it's one of those 10-cent words. Not because it's long or hifalutin, but because in everyday spoken language, people rarely use it.

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kenboss

15 years ago

The Poor Man's Dictionary of Synonyms says Prolific = Kevin Riley.

Hmm. Wonder who wrote that book? Let me check.

Oh.

Apparently it was you. :rolleyes:

Ken

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mbrown

15 years ago

Originally Posted by kenboss

The Poor Man's Dictionary of Synonyms says Prolific = Kevin Riley.

Hmm. Wonder who wrote that book? Let me check.

Oh.

Apparently it was you. :rolleyes:

Ken

Ken.... Kevin told you post that didn't he?

LOL

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Glenn Leader

15 years ago

I can see what you're getting at here Kevin, but to me prolific isn't esoteric enough

IMHO, it means doing in abundance... 'Kevin is a prolific product developer.'

HTH

Glenn

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aquablue

15 years ago

I agree with most of the above...prolific refers to the abundant creation of something (whether that something is always specifically good, I'm not sure.) Good descriptive word for your product creation.

Although the information contained in this post is repetitive, I really wanted to see War Room Member under my name

...

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Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter

15 years ago

I fell down one time and broke my prolific.

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Peter Bestel 15 years ago

Prolific - highly productive, producer of large quantities etc

I confess to initially being a little bemused that you should ask such a question, I mean, I didn't appreciate that the word 'prolific' was misunderstood. From some of the replies I guess I was wrong and I can now see the value of your question.

Mmm, food for thought.

Peter
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Killer Joe 15 years ago

Originally Posted by Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter

I fell down one time and broke my prolific.

Well, that's better than getting it stuck to a frozen lightpole.

Don't ask...

KJ
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JohnMcCabe

15 years ago

Producing or reproducing abundantly.

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Kevin Riley 15 years ago

Thank you one and all. Unfortunately, it seems my quota of "Thanks" is still used up and I can't thank you individually, but I shall when I can. It's been an interesting experiment and I see others learning from it - success!
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Kevin Riley, long-time Warrior living in Osaka, Japan
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QUESTION: Is the word "prolific" easily understood?

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