| ample | Large; great in size, extent, capacity, or bulk; spacious; roomy; widely extended. "All the people in that ample house Did to that image bow their humble knees." (Spenser) 2. Fully sufficient; abundant; liberal; copious; as, an ample fortune; ample justice. 3. Not contracted of brief; not concise; extended; diffusive; as, an ample narrative. Synonym: Full, spacious, extensive, wide, capacious, abundant, plentiful, plenteous, copious, bountiful, rich, liberal, munificent. Ample, Copious, Abundant, Plenteous. These words agree in representing a thing as large, but under different relations, according to the image which is used. Ample implies largeness, producing a sufficiency or fullness of supply for every want; as, ample stores or resources, ample provision. Copious carries with it the idea of flow, or of collection at a single point; as, a copious supply of materials. "Copious matter of my song." . Abundant and plenteous refer to largeness of quantity; as, abundant stores; plenteous harvests. Origin: F. Ample, L. Amplus, prob. For ambiplus full on both sides, the last syllable akin to L. Plenus full. See Full, and cf. Double. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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