flourish

[ flur-ish, fluhr- ]

/ ˈflɜr ɪʃ, ˈflʌr- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR flourish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to be in a vigorous state; thrive: a period in which art flourished.

to be in its or in one's prime; be at the height of fame, excellence, influence, etc.

to be successful; prosper.

to grow luxuriantly, or thrive in growth, as a plant.

to make dramatic, sweeping gestures: Flourish more when you act out the king's great death scene.

to add embellishments and ornamental lines to writing, letters, etc.

to sound a trumpet call or fanfare.

verb (used with object)

to brandish dramatically; gesticulate with: a conductor flourishing his baton for the crescendo.

to decorate or embellish (writing, a page of script, etc.) with sweeping or fanciful curves or lines.

noun

an act or instance of brandishing.

an ostentatious display.

a decoration or embellishment, especially in writing: He added a few flourishes to his signature.

Rhetoric. a parade of fine language; an expression used merely for effect.

a trumpet call or fanfare.

a condition or period of thriving: in full flourish.

Words nearby flourish

flour, flour beetle, flour mill, flour mite, flour moth, flourish, flourishing, floury, flout, flow, flow breccia

Origin of flourish

1250–1300; Middle English florisshen < Middle French floriss-, long stem of florir ≪ Latin flōrēre to bloom, derivative of flōs flower

SYNONYMS FOR flourish

1 grow, increase. See succeed.

9 ornament.

12 ornament, adornment.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR flourish ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR flourish

1 fade, decline.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR flourish ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM flourish

flour·ish·er, nounout·flour·ish, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for flourished

Before ISIS militants surrounded the Syrian city, it had flourished as a place of tolerance and free speech.
Remembering Kobani Before The Siege|Mustafa Abdi, Movements.Org, Advancing Human Rights|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the Arabian Peninsula flourished, the area became the center of cultural development.
When Saudi Arabia Ruled the World|Emily Wilson|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Mauritania, Chinguetti once flourished with scholars, pilgrims, and religious leaders.
The Lost Libraries of the Sahara‬|Nina Strochlic|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only one of them, Mormonism, has taken root and flourished as a true religion sprung from our own native ground.
The Tea Party Isn’t a Political Movement, It’s a Religious One|Jack Schwartz|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That turned out to be the right decision, because my act really grew and flourished most after my writing job at SNL.
My Rocky Time As A Woman Writer on ‘SNL’|Carol Leifer|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I flourished it before him, and pointed with one hand to the broken desk, which he had not yet observed in his craven agitation.
The Strand Magazine, Volume XVII, February 1899, No. 98.|Various
Eschenbach (eshen-ba˙h), Wolfram von, German medival poet or minnesinger, flourished in the first half of the thirteenth century.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
The lower arm of Z is sometimes drawn out (see E, 3): it may be curved and pointed (or flourished).
Writing & Illuminating, & Lettering|Edward Johnston
Norman felt unusually happy, he flourished his stick without attempting to beat Fanny, and shouted at the top of his voice.
Norman Vallery|W.H.G. Kingston
He flourished about the middle of the seventeenth century and painted landscapes.
Catalogue of the Gallery of Art of The New York Historical Society|anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for flourished

flourish

/ (ˈflʌrɪʃ) /

verb

(intr) to thrive; prosper

(intr) to be at the peak of condition

(intr) to be healthyplants flourish in the light

to wave or cause to wave in the air with sweeping strokes

to display or make a display

to play (a fanfare, etc) on a musical instrument

(intr) to embellish writing, characters, etc, with ornamental strokes

to add decorations or embellishments to (speech or writing)

(intr) an obsolete word for blossom

noun

the act of waving or brandishing

a showy gesturehe entered with a flourish

an ornamental embellishment in writing

a display of ornamental language or speech

a grandiose passage of music

an ostentatious display or parade

obsolete

the state of flourishing
the state of flowering

Derived forms of flourish

flourisher, noun

Word Origin for flourish

C13: from Old French florir, ultimately from Latin flōrēre to flower, from flōs a flower

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

flourish

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Words related to flourish

Words nearby flourish

Origin of flourish

SYNONYMS FOR flourish

ANTONYMS FOR flourish

OTHER WORDS FROM flourish

Examples from the Web for flourished

British Dictionary definitions for flourished

verb

noun

Derived forms of flourish

Word Origin for flourish