prosperous

adjective

ˈprä-sp(ə-)rəs How to pronounce prosperous (audio)
Definition of prosperousnext
1
as in thriving
marked by vigorous growth and well-being especially economically a prosperous business that will soon be expanding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in successful
having attained a desired end or state of good fortune one of the most prosperous families in the community

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lush
growing thickly and vigorously our neighbor has a real green thumb and a yard full of healthy, prosperous plants

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of prosperous The Chesapeake colonies grew prosperous through tobacco exports but also endured recurring disputes over labor, land ownership, and political power. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 June 2026 His mother, Mary Ann, came from a prosperous family of New Jersey undertakers, and taught in New York City’s public schools. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026 Not everyone knew, however, that this person so famous for turning against a nascent America was in fact a Connecticut resident born in Norwich, and a very prosperous and an initially very patriotic one at that. — Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2026 Despite being the fourth largest economy in the world — the home of Hollywood and Silicon Valley — California’s budget is extremely dependent on the state’s most prosperous residents. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for prosperous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prosperous
  1. thriving
  2. successful
  3. lush
  4. prospering
  5. weedy
  6. wealthy
  7. rampant
  8. golden
Adjective
  • Despite a thriving local soccer scene and success in competition abroad, the only time the country appeared in the tournament was in Mexico in 1970.
    — Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2026
  • We’re inspired by our vision to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of thriving
Adjective
  • Some of the renovations have been successful; fountains are running anew, including the long-dormant cascading water feature at the city’s popular Meridian Hill Park.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Live Local also disrupts years of successful and careful planning by the city to promote compatible, consistent development in neighborhoods like Wynwood.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026
Definition of successful
Adjective
  • Those included a charmingly cluttered Bucket family home, a lush candyland with the smell of chocolate piped through the Royal Theater to complement the full-size mock chocolate river, and a glass elevator that flew above the audience.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • If your lawn is struggling from summer heat, weeds, or drought, reseeding can revitalize it and help make your lawn look thick and lush.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 July 2026
Definition of lush
Adjective
  • Wall Street has been treating the two companies very differently over the past year, largely because Alphabet has a prospering cloud business that helps justify its hefty spending.
    — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Definition of prospering
Adjective
  • Your neighbors probably won't be bothered by your weedy flower beds or rusty lawn furniture.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 June 2026
  • July is a good time to fill in bare or now weedy spots left by winter, drought or pests.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2026
Definition of weedy
Adjective
  • Swift’s name came up as a possible wealthy benefactor to pay for a new football stadium in Kansas City.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • Some wealthy suburbs were too small for the MoneyLion ranking.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of wealthy
Adjective
  • Then the favourites/best team in the tournament, the rampant French, are in action in their last-16 game against Paraguay.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • When sports betting was made legal in 2018, rampant advertising and sponsorship coupled with an unregulated market resulted in a turmoil that prompted the government to usher in new regulations in 2023.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of rampant
Adjective
  • The kernels should develop dark golden spots without becoming overly blackened.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • The Thrissur Vadakkunnathan temple’s annual Pooram parade features about 100 elephants adorned in golden headgear and colorful silk caparisons.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of golden

Browse Nearby Words

prosperity
prosperous
prosperousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prosperous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prosperous. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on prosperous

Nglish: Translation of prosperous for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All