# flourishing

/ˈfɫɝɪʃɪŋ/ (US) · /flˈʌɹɪʃɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/flourishing
Updated: 2026-05-07

## Definition

growing or developing very successfully. You use this to describe a person, business, or plant that is healthy and doing well.

For teachers: thriving, prospering, or developing rapidly and successfully. Often used as a participial adjective to describe economic, social, or biological health.

## Examples

- The city has a flourishing art scene.
- After the new trade laws were passed, the small coastal town became a flourishing hub for international commerce.
- The discovery of ancient irrigation systems suggests that a flourishing civilization once inhabited this now-arid region, supporting a population much larger than previously estimated.

## Usage notes

- Commonly used both attributively before a noun and predicatively after a linking verb like 'is' or 'remains'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.