prosperous
Americanadjective
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having or characterized by financial success or good fortune; flourishing; successful.
a prosperous business.
- Synonyms:
- thriving
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well-to-do or well-off.
a prosperous family.
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favorable or propitious.
- Synonyms:
- auspicious, lucky, fortunate
adjective
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flourishing; prospering
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rich; affluent; wealthy
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favourable or promising
Usage
What does prosperous mean? Prosperous means successful, especially in a financial or material way. It can be used to describe people, groups, or institutions like businesses. The word is typically used to describe people who have achieved success in terms of wealth, health, and happiness. But it can also be used broadly, much like the words successful, thriving, and flourishing. Prosperous is based on the verb prosper, which means to be successful. You can say that someone is prospering in the present, but the word is perhaps most commonly used in the context of what will happen in the future. The word prospering can be used as an adjective to mean the same thing as prosperous. The related noun prosperity refers to a state of success. Example: If we can continue to maintain this level of quality, our company will continue to be prosperous.
Other Word Forms
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nonprosperousadjective
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nonprosperouslyadverb
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nonprosperousnessnoun
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overprosperousadjective
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overprosperouslyadverb
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overprosperousnessnoun
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prosperouslyadverb
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prosperousnessnoun
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pseudoprosperousadjective
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pseudoprosperouslyadverb
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quasi-prosperousadjective
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quasi-prosperouslyadverb
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superprosperousadjective
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unprosperousadjective
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unprosperouslyadverb
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unprosperousnessnoun
Etymology
Origin of prosperous
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prosperus
Explanation
If you have a new car, a new high-paying job, and some flashy new shoes, then you could be described as prosperous, meaning you have material success that seems like it will continue to grow. The adjective prosperous often describes a person or a person’s future, but it can apply to anything that’s experiencing growth and success. Prosperous derives from the Latin word prosperus, meaning “doing well.” Great pronouns of this happy word include golden, well-heeled, flourishing, and thriving.
Vocabulary lists containing prosperous
Life Is So Good
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A Wealth Of Words: Synonyms for "Rich"
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Hamilton
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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.
"The future of a prosperous Wales lies within a successful United Kingdom," Thomas added.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
You are a master of the prosperous pivot.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
One can readily sense the intellectual hostility to middlebrow culture, which in England dated back before the existence of a large and prosperous middle class with a hunger for culture.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
On the one hand, today’s poor live vastly more prosperous lives by any material measure than the poor of the 1960s.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
The more prosperous families had coal sheds; the poorer ones left their coal in a pile out front.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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.
