Plump Is the Kindest Word for Round
Plump means pleasantly rounded and full. English has many words for the same shape, and plump is the friendliest of them.
Plump means pleasantly rounded and full. Among English words for the same shape it carries the warmest tone: *plump* suggests health and appeal, which is why it is used freely of cushions, grapes, chickens and babies, while *fat*, *stout* and *portly* all sit differently. That is why cookery writing prefers it — plump raisins, plump prawns. A separate verb *plump* means to drop heavily, and *plump for* means to choose decisively.
- Pleasantly rounded. *A plump cushion.*
- Full and juicy. *Plump grapes.*
- To plump up — to make full. *Plump the pillows.*
- To plump down — to drop heavily. *He plumped down.*
- Plump for — to choose. *Plump for the blue one.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | plump | Plump. |
| Comparative | plumper | Plumper. |
| Verb | plump | Plump it up. |
| Noun | plumpness | Plumpness. |
| Adverb | plumply | Plumply. |
- Soak the raisins until plump.Cooking.
- She plumped the cushions.Verb.
- He plumped for the cheaper option.Choosing.
Shades of rounded
- Plump — warm and approving
- Chubby — usually of children, affectionate
- Stout — solid and sturdy, slightly formal
- Portly — dignified, usually of older men
- Rotund — literary and a little comic
From Middle Dutch *plomp*, blunt or thick. The verb meaning to fall heavily is imitative, from the sound.
What does plump for mean?
To choose one option decisively, especially after hesitating between several.
Is plump polite?
It is the warmest of the English words for a rounded shape, though as with all such words the context decides.