Definition

Verb: - To exist in large quantity; to be abundant, swarming, or teeming with something.

Usage

This verb is used to describe a place, situation, or thing that contains or is filled with a very large number of specific items, organisms, or elements. It emphasizes abundance, often to the point of being crowded or overflowing. It is typically used in a descriptive or literary context.

Examples

• The old bookshelf pullulated with dust mites.
• The tropical rainforest pullulates with diverse insect life.
• After the rain, the garden pullulated with earthworms.
• The city's markets pullulate with vibrant colors and exotic smells.

Advanced Usage

• Figurative Use: Can be applied to non-physical things like ideas or emotions.
  • His mind pullulated with creative schemes.
• Formal/Literary Register: This verb is more common in formal writing, scientific descriptions, or literary works than in everyday conversation.

Variants and Related Words

• Pullulate (verb): To breed or produce abundantly; to swarm.
  • The decaying fruit caused flies to pullulate.
• Pullulation (noun): The act or state of pullulating; swarming.
  • The pullulation of bacteria in the culture was rapid.

Synonyms

• Teem with: To be full of or swarming with.
• Swarm with: To be present in large numbers, moving in a crowd.
• Abound in/with: To exist in great numbers or quantities.
• Be infested with: To be overrun with something typically harmful or unwanted.

Notes on Meaning

The core meaning is "to exist in large quantity." While it can have a neutral sense of simple abundance (e.g., pullulate with life), it often carries a connotation of prolific, active, and sometimes uncontrolled proliferation, which can imply a slightly negative or overwhelming quality depending on context.

Verb

1. exist in large quantity