What this suffix does
-ulent means "full of": turbulent = full of turbulence, virulent = full of poison (very harmful or aggressive), fraudulent = full of fraud, succulent = full of juice.
ESEN
Suffix · forms adjectives
-ulent / -uous
Means "full of" or "abundant in that quality": turbulent, virulent, fraudulent.
In Spanish: -ulento / -uosoIntermediate
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
The -uous variant: same meaning
ambiguous, continuous, conspicuous, meticulous follow the same "full of that quality" idea, just with a different ending.
How it is formed
Latin root (substance or quality) + ulent or + uous.
- root + ulent (full of that substance)turb (agitation) = turbulentvir (poison) = virulentsucc (juice) = succulentfraud = fraudulentcorp (body) = corpulent
- root + uous (having that quality)sens (sense) = sensuousstrenu (active) = strenuousambi (two) = ambiguouscontinu = continuousconspici = conspicuous
- variant -ulous (further roots)metic (fear) = meticulousnebul (mist) = nebulousscruple = scrupulouspopul = populous
The variant -ulous (meticulous, nebulous, scrupulous) shares the same origin. Corresponding nouns: turbulent → turbulence, virulent → virulence, ambiguous → ambiguity, conspicuous → conspicuousness, meticulous → meticulousness.
How it is pronounced
-ulent / -uous/jʊlənt/ or /juəs/ · 'YOOL-ent' or 'YOO-us'
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Examples
Base word
With -ulent / -uous
In a phrase
- turb (agitation)turbulentThe plane hit some turbulent weather over the mountains.
- vir (poison)virulentThe virus is highly virulent and spreads fast.
- succ (juice)succulentThe steak was juicy and succulent.
- fraudfraudulentThe company was fined for fraudulent advertising.
- sens (sense)sensuousThe dancer's movements were slow and sensuous.
- strenu (active)strenuousHiking that mountain is pretty strenuous.
- ambi (two)ambiguousHis answer was ambiguous, I still don't know what he meant.
- continucontinuousThe machine runs on continuous power all day.
- conspici (see)conspicuousShe felt conspicuous in her bright red coat.
- metic (fear)meticulousHe's meticulous about keeping his notes organized.
Common mistakes
confusing "sensuous" and "sensual"
"sensuous" = appealing to the senses aesthetically; "sensual" = with physical/erotic connotations
"a sensuous piece of music" = aesthetically pleasing to the ear. "sensual pleasure" = physical or erotic pleasure. Using "sensual" for music can sound odd in some contexts; "sensuous" is more precise and literary.
"conspicuous" = suspicious
"conspicuous" = clearly visible, standing out, attracting attention
"conspicuous" comes from "conspicere" (to see clearly). Not suspicious: it means very noticeable. "conspicuous by its absence" = very notable for not being there.
"strenuous" and "stressful" are synonyms
"strenuous" = requiring great physical effort; "stressful" = causing anxiety or stress
"strenuous exercise" = exercise requiring great effort. "a stressful situation" = one causing anxiety. An activity can be strenuous without being stressful (a hard but mentally calming run).
A trick to remember it
Picture a glass overflowing with something: turbulent = overflowing with turbulence, virulent = overflowing with poison, succulent = overflowing with juice. The suffix always means "so full it spills over".
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What is the difference between "sensuous" and "sensual"?
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
"Conspicuous" means...
Frequently asked questions
What does the suffix -ulent / -uous mean in English?
The suffix -ulent / -uous means "full of" or "abundant in that quality": turbulent, virulent, fraudulent. In Spanish it usually maps to -ulento / -uoso.
How do you pronounce -ulent / -uous?
The ending -ulent / -uous is pronounced /jʊlənt/ or /juəs/ · 'YOOL-ent' or 'YOO-us'. For example, "turbulent".
Can you give an example of a word with -ulent / -uous?
"turb (agitation)" becomes "turbulent". It is a typical example of the -ulent / -uous suffix.
Other useful suffixes
-acious / -icious
From Latin "-ax/-acis": means "full of" or "having the quality of" to a high degree. Tenacious, audacious, malicious, delicious.
-itude
From Latin "-itudo": forms abstract nouns of state or quality. Solitude, gratitude, magnitude, fortitude.
-ous / -ious
Turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "having that quality": danger becomes dangerous.
Learn every English suffix
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.