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 of prosperous

• thriving
• prospering
• successful
• wealthy
• golden
• booming

Examples of prosperous in a Sentence

The company had a prosperous year.

He predicted a prosperous future.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Boomers inherited the most prosperous nation in history. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 25 May 2026

Tulsa was placed under martial law after Greenwood, the prosperous Black neighborhood commonly known as Black Wall Street, was attacked in 1921. —Brooke Howard, AJC.com, 23 May 2026

Large, broadly prosperous middle classes have always been built deliberately—through labor protections, public investment, antitrust enforcement, and progressive taxation. —Nick Hanauer, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026

Offal fell out of favor in America for several reasons, including its association with poverty and wartime rationing in the prosperous era that followed World War II, according to The Takeout. —Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026

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