First Known Use: 1541
Dictionary
plethora
noun pleth·o·ra \ˈple-thə-rə\
: a very large amount or number : an amount that is much greater than what is necessary
Full Definition of PLETHORA
1
: a bodily condition characterized by an excess of blood and marked by turgescence and a florid complexion
2
: excess, superfluity; also : profusion, abundance
— ple·tho·ric \plə-ˈthȯr-ik, ple-, -ˈthär-; ˈple-thə-rik\ adjective
See plethora defined for English-language learners
ADVERTISEMENT
Examples of PLETHORA
- There has been a plethora of plays in recent years whose claim to modernity is based on indicated rather than felt emotion. —Arthur Miller, Harper's, March 1999
- The plethora of short-lived ceasefires in the Balkans and the Caucasus constitute proof that we are no longer in a world where the old rules of state warfare apply. —Robert D. Kaplan, Atlantic, February 1994
- In their view, there are the very few hard-pressed good guys losing the landscape to a plethora of bad guys. —Carol Bly, Letters from the Country, 1981
- … served at the long plank table in the banquet hut, amid a plethora of toasts to progress, amity, and the overthrow of imperialism—the meal passed in a blur. —John Updike, Trust Me, (1962) 1987
- [+]more
Origin of PLETHORA
Medieval Latin, from Greek plēthōra, literally, fullness, from plēthein to be full — more at full
Related to PLETHORA
- Synonyms
- abundance, cornucopia, feast, plenitude, plentitude, plenty, superabundance, wealth
- Antonyms
- deficiency, inadequacy, insufficiency, undersupply
Medical Dictionary
plethora
noun pleth·o·ra \ˈpleth-ə-rə\
Medical Definition of PLETHORA
: a bodily condition characterized by an excess of blood and marked by turgescence and a reddish complexion
—ple·tho·ric \plə-ˈthȯr-ik, ple-, -ˈthär-; ˈpleth-ə-rik\ adjective
Learn More About PLETHORA
Browse
Next Word in the Dictionary: plethoryPrevious Word in the Dictionary: PlethodontidaeAll Words Near: plethora
ADVERTISEMENT
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up plethora? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).