prosperous

/ˈprɒspərəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈprɑːspərəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈprä-sp(ə-)rəs/ (ame, mw)

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.形容詞B2
釋義

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.

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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'.

反義詞
  • poor

    general opposite; broader than 'prosperous' in register.

  • struggling

    emphasises ongoing difficulty rather than poverty itself.

文法句型

prosperous + noun

be prosperous

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.形容詞C1
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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'.

反義詞
  • inauspicious

    direct formal opposite, signalling bad luck ahead.

  • ill-omened

    literary; suggests a sign of trouble to come.

文法句型

a prosperous + time noun

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

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