prosperous

IPA/ˈprɒspərəs/
KK[prˈɑspɚəs]IPA/ˈprɑːspərəs/

prosperous — adjective

  • prosperouspositive
  • more prosperouscomparative
  • most prosperoussuperlative

1. rich and doing well in business, work, or life over a long stretch of time — usu

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

rich and doing well in business, work, or life over a long stretch of time — usually because trade, industry, or a region's economy is going strong.

Example

Kofi grew up in a prosperous farming village near the coast of Ghana.

prosperous + noun (modifying a place)

The factory made the town prosperous for nearly forty years before it closed.

make + [place] + prosperous

Common collocations
  • a prosperous town
  • a prosperous business
  • a prosperous nation
  • increasingly prosperous
Synonyms
  • thriving

    stronger emphasis on active growth and energy than 'prosperous'.

  • affluent

    focuses on personal wealth; less about business success.

  • well-off

    everyday, neutral; less formal than 'prosperous'.

Antonyms
  • poor

    general opposite; broader than 'prosperous' in register.

  • struggling

    emphasises ongoing difficulty rather than poverty itself.

Grammar Patterns

prosperous + noun

be prosperous

Usage Note

Often describes a place, a business, or a period of time rather than a single person. When it does describe a person, the wealth is usually long-term and earned through work, not sudden luck.

Common Mistakes

I had a prosperous lottery win last night.
I had a lucky lottery win last night.
'prosperous' implies steady, earned success over time, not a single windfall.

2. describing a moment, sign, or beginning that seems likely to lead to good fortun

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a moment, sign, or beginning that seems likely to lead to good fortune ahead — used mostly in greetings, blessings, and old-fashioned writing.

Example

The fortune teller said the wedding date would be a prosperous one for Noa and Bilal.

a prosperous + time noun (date, day, year)

Lakan's family wished us a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year.

fixed greeting: happy and prosperous + holiday

Common collocations
  • a prosperous new year
  • a prosperous sign
  • a prosperous beginning
Synonyms
  • auspicious

    near-equivalent; slightly more common in modern formal English.

  • favourable

    broader; covers any positive sign, not only those promising wealth.

  • promising

    everyday register; less ceremonial than 'prosperous'.

Antonyms
  • inauspicious

    direct formal opposite, signalling bad luck ahead.

  • ill-omened

    literary; suggests a sign of trouble to come.

Grammar Patterns

a prosperous + time noun

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about a *promise* of future good luck, not present wealth. Almost always used before a noun (attributive), and mostly in greetings or formal/literary contexts.

Common Mistakes

The omen looked prosperous.
It looked like a prosperous omen.
in this sense, 'prosperous' is rarely used after 'be'; prefer the attributive form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These four words all describe wealth or success, but the focus differs. 'Prosperous' is the broadest of the formal options: it covers people, businesses, towns, and whole eras, and it implies long-term, earned success — usually visible in trade, industry, or harvests. 'Affluent' is narrower and more personal — it describes individuals, families, or neighbourhoods with comfortable money, but says little about how the wealth was made. 'Thriving' shifts the emphasis from accumulated wealth to active growth and energy: a thriving café may not be rich yet, but it is clearly doing well right now. 'Well-off' is the everyday register — what a friend would say at the dinner table. Compare: a prosperous nation, an affluent suburb, a thriving start-up, a well-off neighbour.

prosperous ↗affluent ↗thriving ↗well-off ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a prosperous future
  • a long and prosperous life

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Comes from Latin 'prosperus', meaning 'doing well' or 'favourable', built from 'pro-' (forward, in line with) plus a root linked to 'hope' or 'expectation'. The word reached English through Old French 'prospere' in the 15th century, first used about events going as one hoped, and later extended to people and places that were doing financially well.