Do you know the definition of plethora? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word plethora, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
Your writing, at its best
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word plethora is a noun that refers to a large amount of something. In medicine, the word plethora is also a morbid bodily condition in which the pathology is characterized by an excess of blood and marked by turgescence and a florid complexion due to the quantity of blood. This medical condition is caused by a dilation of superficial blood vessels, and can cause a reddish face and swelling due to the excess of red blood cells and the excessive fullness of the blood vessels. The word plethora is three syllables – ple-tho-ra, and the pronunciation of plethora is plɛˈθɒrɪk.
Many things can come in a plethora, including a plethora of advice for a mindfulness practice, a plethora of outdoor adventures, a plethora of apps and downloads, a plethora of services for the digital lending market, a plethora of potential customers or guests, a plethora of cuisines, a plethora of Spanish terms like jefe or el guapo, a plethora of piñatas, a plethora of superior intellect, and more in American English.
There are many different words that also mean plethora in other languages. You may notice that many of these words look and sound similar. These are called cognates, which are usually formed when two words have the same language of origin or root, such as Latin or Greek. This list of translations of plethora is provided by Word Sense.
According to Etymonline, the word plethora had been used since mid c16 to mean an attribute of an excess of bodily humours. This comes from the Medieval Latin or Late Latin plethora and Greek plēthōrē, as well as the Greek plēthein, the Ancient Greek πληθώρη. This comes from the Proto-Indo-European roots pele.
What are synonyms and antonyms of plethora?
There are many different words and phrases that one can use in place of the term plethora. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. Synonyms are very useful to know if you want to avoid repeating yourself as well as if you are looking to expand your vocabulary. The below list of synonyms for the word plethora is provided by Power Thesaurus.
large amount of
plus
profusion
huge number
overdose
flood
great amount
great quantities of
hundreds of
bellyful
plentitude
opulence
host
satiety
overage
fat
overabundance
abundance
crowd
considerable number
good deal
oversufficiency
superfluity
myriad
enormous amount
good quantity
extravagantness
lavishness
glut
surfeit
all kinds of
heaps of
generous amount
copiousness
surplusage
large amount
multitude
inundation
wealth
overflow
cornucopia
exorbitance
repletion
over-abundance
deluge
plenty
surplus
luxuriance
excess
residue
extravagancy
oversupply
over-supply
nimiety
oodles
avalanche
large number
sea
pile
excesses
plenitude
superfluousness
dozens of
much
flooding
overplus
bounty
great number
big number
overkill
embarrassment of riches
redundance
remainder
many
gazillions of
overfullness
exuberance
profusion of
overload
feast
supererogation
redundancy
congestion
engorgement
saturation
bazillions of
lot
more than enough
excessiveness
considerable amount
decent amount
embarrassment
fats
superabundance
extravagance
copious amount of
overmuch
great quantities
overstock
abundances
There are also many different words and phrases that a person can use that are the opposite of the word plethora, which are called antonyms. Opposite words are also very useful to know if you are looking to expand your English language and grammar knowledge, or if you are looking to grow your vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word plethora is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
Overall, the word plethora means an excess or overfullness. This can be used in the medical field to refer to an overfullness of blood beyond a healthy standard caused by a state of the blood vessels in the circulatory system. This morbid condition comes with an excess of red corpuscles. This is a Greek word from the Greek plēthōrē fullness.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
September 8, 2021
Common Questions
