flourishing

[ flur-i-shing, fluhr- ]

/ ˈflɜr ɪ ʃɪŋ, ˈflʌr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flourishing ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

growing vigorously; thriving; prosperous: a flourishing little business.

Nearby words

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

Origin of flourishing

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at flourish, -ing²

Related forms

flour·ish·ing·ly, adverbun·flour·ish·ing, adjective

Definition for flourishing (2 of 2)

flourish

[ flur-ish, fluhr- ]

/ ˈflɜr ɪʃ, ˈflʌr- /

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.

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 MORE SYNONYMS FOR flourish ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR flourish

1 fade, decline.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR flourish ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flourishing

Those are troubling numbers, for unfettered speech is not incidental to a flourishing society.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Strangio is at his best when exposing what appears to be a flourishing civil society in Cambodia.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Barzani government, on the other hand, has had flourishing ties with Turkey.
PKK Kurdish Terrorists Are Fighting IS Terrorists With U.S. Help|Thomas Seibert|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But there was certainly a flourishing of it right after World War II.
How Jews Created American Modernism|Andrew Romano|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So yes, couture is alive and flourishing, thanks to wealth located far from its spiritual home of Paris.
What’s Haute, What’s Not: The Meaning of Modern Couture|Liza Foreman|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Missions now depopulated—their happy and flourishing state under the Jesuits.
Buenos Ayres and the Provinces of the Rio de La Plata|Woodbine Parish
Strong, healthy, and flourishing nations increase in numbers.
The German War|Arthur Conan Doyle
They savagely blustered, flourishing their revolvers recklessly.
The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop|Hamlin Garland
And there the two branches still are, flourishing side by side.
Dear Enemy|Jean Webster
I always used to see in modest homes great tubs each with a flourishing Oleander tree.
Old-Time Gardens|Alice Morse Earle

British Dictionary definitions for flourishing

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

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

flourishing

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of flourishing

Related forms

Definition for flourishing (2 of 2)

flourish

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of flourish

SYNONYMS FOR flourish

ANTONYMS FOR flourish

Related forms

Examples from the Web for flourishing

British Dictionary definitions for flourishing

flourish

verb

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for flourish