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Glite Dictionary
plenty of

plenty of

∞ 1.0
A large amount of something more than you need
  • adposition
translation icon : mucho
  • Well, we got plenty of time.
  • plenty of time
  • plenty of people
  • plenty of food

And there was plenty of silence as well.

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Examples

  • You guys have plenty of time.

    The Hustler (1961)

  • There are plenty of activities to choose from at the festival this weekend.

  • And so I felt like I would have plenty of room either way.

  • We have plenty of time.

    Love Don’t Fade Away (2023)

  • We got plenty of food.

    The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)

  • But if you have wealth, you have plenty of options in Central America.

    Chris Williamson

  • The dynamic U.S. economy, in other words, has plenty of flexibility but little security.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Mars has plenty of water, it's just frozen.

    Lex Fridman

  • Well, there's plenty of places like that in Pittsburgh.

    American Royalty (2022)

  • With the diversity within the SME market, there are plenty of challenges to be faced within this sector.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

lot
vsplenty of
∞ 1.0

A large amount of something

emphasizes surplus over mere large quantity
enough
vsplenty of
∞ 1.0

To the amount needed for something to happen

expresses surplus instead of just meeting a need
great deal
vsplenty of
677 1.6

A large amount of something, for example patience or money

focuses on having more than enough rather than stressing extent
abundance
vsplenty of
91 3.3

A large amount of something, more than you need

has identical meaning but is the common everyday expression
quite a little
vsplenty of
  • Informal
3 6.6

A fairly large amount of something

means surplus rather than just informally noting a large amount
lots
vsplenty of
  • Informal
1.0

A large number of people or things

is the same idea but highlights having more than required

Antonyms

lack
∞ 1.3

Not having something you need or want

scarcity
29 4.4

A situation where there is not enough of something people need

insufficiency
1 6.5

A lack of skill, experience, or resources needed for a job

How Much

abundance
91 3.3
plenty of
∞ 1.0
many
9 1.0
some
∞ 1.0
a little
∞ 1.0
none
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

plenty of main

Morphology

plenty + of

The meaning 'a large amount or number of' is directly and transparently derived from 'plenty' (a large or adequate quantity) combined with the preposition 'of' which links it to the noun phrase. This compositional pattern is grammatically regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Plenty of comes from the idea of abundance: imagine a table so full that there is plenty on it, more than anyone needs. That's why plenty of means 'a large amount' or 'more than enough'.