flourishing

adjective

flour·​ish·​ing ˈflər-i-shiŋ How to pronounce flourishing (audio)
ˈflə-rish
Synonyms of flourishingnext
: marked by vigorous and healthy growth
a flourishing garden
: very active and successful
a flourishing career
flourishingly adverb
flourishingly vibrant begonias
Even a few years ago, scientists had studied only a handful of galactic specimens. But recently, galaxy collections have grown flourishingly. —Ann Finkbeiner

Synonyms of flourishing

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Examples of flourishing in a Sentence

a flourishing actor in the early years of the talkies a flourishing market in sports memorabilia a flourishing community that has become a major beneficiary of the high-tech boom
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That misery helped Perna, 41, turn his own fandom into a flourishing YouTube channel. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025 It has been correlated with swells of human progress and flourishing, science and technology, medicine and political freedom. — Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 24 Dec. 2025 This holistic approach addresses what's failing in current, disjointed systems and fosters more flourishing futures, including for leaders themselves. — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 There’s something to be said about exhibiting the life of a Black, gay man who’s unapologetically flourishing; believe it or not, there are still a lot of people who don’t actually want Black and gay people thriving. — Raven Smith, Vogue, 13 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flourishing

Word History

Etymology

Middle English florysschyng, from present participle of florisshen "to flourish entry 1"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flourishing was in the 14th century

Rhymes for flourishing

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Browse Nearby Words

flourisher
flourishing
flourishy
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Cite this Entry

“Flourishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flourishing. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on flourishing

Nglish: Translation of flourishing for Spanish Speakers

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