Entry Word: bloom

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a state or time of great activity, thriving, or achievement <a handsome young man in the full bloom of youth>

Synonyms blossom, flower, flush, heyday, prime

Related Words acme, apex, climax, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenith; glory, grandeur, splendor; haleness, heartiness; energy, force, potency, power, vigor

Near Antonyms decline; bottom, nadir; feebleness, fragility, frailty, weakness; illness, infirmity, sickness; shriveling, wilting, withering

2 a rosy appearance of the cheeks <after a snowball fight, she came inside with a bloom>

Synonyms blush, flush

Related Words brightness, brilliance, glow; pinkness, rosiness

3 the usually showy plant part that produces seeds <the rosebush produces blooms only in midsummer> — see flower 1