Prosperous means successful and comfortably rich. A prosperous town, prosperous years, look prosperous.
It describes settled, visible wealth rather than sudden money, which is why it suits towns, farms and merchants better than lottery winners. It is slightly formal and faintly old-fashioned. Note prosperity, prosper; and that the Latin behind it means according to expectation, from pro spere — so a prosperous life is one that has gone as hoped, which is a gentler idea than wealth.
1adjectiveprosperousSuccessful and comfortably rich.
“The town grew prosperous thanks to the wool trade.”
synonyms: thriving, affluent
prosperous is a quality of success.
Also accepted in games: wealthy, thriving
Latin prosperus is thought to come from pro spere, according to hope. Prosperity was originally things turning out as expected, and wealth is a later narrowing.
itc-ola
pro spere — according to expectation
Latin
prosperō — to cause to succeed
Old French
prosperer
Middle French
prospereus
English, today
prosperous
Built from
From Middle French prospereus, from Old French prosperer, from Latin prosperō (“to cause to succeed”), from itc-ola pro spere (“according to expectation”), from pro (“for”) + spes (“hope”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA