prosperous

adjective

pros·​per·​ous ˈprä-sp(ə-)rəs 

1

: auspicious, favorable

2

a

: marked by success or economic well-being

b

: enjoying vigorous and healthy growth : flourishing

prosperously adverb

prosperousness noun

Synonyms

• booming
• boomy
• flourishing
• golden
• halcyon
• healthy
• lush
• palmy
• prospering
• roaring
• successful
• thriving

Examples of prosperous in a Sentence

The company had a prosperous year.

He predicted a prosperous future.

Recent Examples on the Web

Born in 1914, Randle was just a young girl when an angry mob of white residents destroyed Greenwood, the prosperous Black neighborhood known as Black Wall Street in 1921, killing hundreds of people and reducing 35 square blocks of thriving businesses to ashes. —Melissa Noel, Essence, 5 Nov. 2024

By embracing sound policies, the U.S. has the opportunity to lead the way, fostering a prosperous future for early adopters and cautious newcomers alike. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. —Tonya Evans, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Such an outcome would allow Kyiv to get on with the job of building a sovereign, prosperous, noncorrupt, and democratic state increasingly integrated with European economic and security institutions. —Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024

On Wednesday the Labour government set out its first budget, a brutal one filled with 40 billion pounds in tax hikes targeted mainly at small and medium-sized private businesses, the prosperous middle class, and the very wealthy. —Samantha Conti, WWD, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin prosperus "agreeable to one's wishes, successful, (of omens) propitious" (going back to *pro-sparo-, from pro- pro- entry 2 + *sparo-, going back to Indo-European *sph₁-ró- "thriving") + -ous -ous — more at speed entry 1

Note: An apparently traditional explanation is recorded by the fourth/fifth century grammarian Nonius Marcellus, namely, that prosperus was in origin from the phrase prō spērē "in conformity with one's hope" (spērē being taken as a variant of spē, ablative of spēs "hope"), though this may best be regarded as a folk etymology. It fails to account for the short e in prosperus.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

prosperous

adjective

pros·​per·​ous ˈpräs-p(ə-)rəs 

1

: having or showing success or financial good fortune

2

: strong and healthy in growth

prosperously adverb