Proliferate GRE Vocabulary Flashcard
/prəˈlɪf.ər.eɪt/ (verb)
Definition
to grow or increase rapidly in number, procreate, multiply, breed, burgeon, boom, spawn, flourish, bloom, rocket, thrive, reproduce, replicate, mushroom, snowball, propagate
Example
Rabbits are noted for their prolific breeding ability, but the popular phrase “breeding like rabbits” isn’t quite the whole story. Many animals bear a lot of offspring, so what makes rabbits so special?
A few factors make the eastern cottontail rabbit — and rabbits in general — notable in the breeding department. To start with, cottontail rabbits are able to proliferate at a very young age, as young as 2 months to 3 months old, according to the Animal Diversity Web. Rabbits also have a short gestation period, between 25 and 28 days, which means they can have several litters of babies each year.
Source: https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/
Antonyms
dwindle, die out
Parts of speech
Noun: proliferation
Noun: proliferator
Adjective: proliferative
Adjective: prolific
Adjective: proliferous: producing and growing many cells rapidly
Adverb: proliferatively