prosperity
Americannoun
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a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in financial respects; good fortune.
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prosperities, prosperous circumstances, characterized by financial success or good fortune.
noun
Usage
What does prosperity mean? Prosperity is success or the state of success, especially financial or material success. Prosperity often implies success in terms of wealth, health, and happiness. But it can also be used more broadly. The verb prosper means to achieve prosperity. Someone who achieves prosperity can be described as prosperous. The word prosperity is often paired with words like peace and wealth, such as when wishing people well, as in May your year be full of peace and prosperity. Example: You can achieve prosperity through dedication and hard work.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prosperity
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English prosperite, from Old French, from Latin prosperitās; see prosperous, -ity
Explanation
Use prosperity to refer to the state of being successful. In the US, the decades following World War II were characterized by rising prosperity, with large numbers moving into the middle class. Prosperity usually means the type of success that comes from having a lot of money. Our modern English word derives from Middle English prosperite, borrowed through Old French from Latin prosperus "favorable." The Latin word also means "fortunate," and the word prosperity does have an element of good luck.
Vocabulary lists containing prosperity
100 Top "SAT" Words
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Animal Farm
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Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cepeda’s message has resonated with many Colombians attracted by the promise of a bigger role for the government and a voice for the masses who feel they have missed out on prosperity.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
“Getting the lead out of pipes is vital to the health and prosperity of children and families in communities all across America,” EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Michael Martucci said in a statement Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
He vowed on Friday to lead a "reform-oriented" Federal Reserve, telling Trump he believed "these years can bring unmatched prosperity that will raise living standards for Americans from all walks of life".
From BBC • May 22, 2026
The “American Century” truly took off with victory in World War II and the post-war prosperity that followed.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
“It should be yours. You’ve brought her prosperity with your Crystal and her Poland piglet offspring. And I have my own farm—my wilderness.”
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
