prosperity

prosperity — noun

1. a lasting condition in which a person, community, or country enjoys both financi

1.nounB2
Definition

a lasting condition in which a person, community, or country enjoys both financial abundance and general well-being

Example

The city of Iker experienced a period of great prosperity after the new port opened.

collocation: period of prosperity

Zola's grandparents ran a store and saved money, creating prosperity for their children and grandchildren.

create prosperity for [someone] through [concrete actions]

Common collocations
  • period of prosperity
  • economic prosperity
  • shared prosperity
  • bring prosperity
  • enjoy prosperity
Synonyms
  • wealth

    narrower and more material — wealth is about money and assets, not overall well-being

  • success

    broader — can apply to non-financial achievements such as career or personal goals

  • affluence

    more formal and focuses on material riches rather than general flourishing

Antonyms
  • poverty

    direct opposite — lack of financial resources

  • hardship

    emphasises the difficulty and struggle that comes from lacking prosperity

Grammar Patterns

prosperity + of + noun phrase

prosperity + for + noun phrase

Usage Note

Prosperity is an uncountable noun and is not used in the plural. It describes a broad, ongoing condition — not a single event or temporary situation.

Common Mistakes

The country enjoyed a prosperity in the 1990s.
The country enjoyed prosperity in the 1990s.
prosperity is uncountable and does not take 'a' or 'an'.

Word family

  • prosper
    verbB2
  • prosperous
    adjectiveB2
  • prosperously
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While prosperity, wealth, and affluence all relate to material well-being, they differ in scope. Wealth refers narrowly to money and assets — you can have wealth even in a failing society. Affluence is a formal word for abundant material riches but does not imply general health or happiness. Prosperity is broader: it combines financial abundance with the sense that a community or individual is thriving overall. Success is the widest of the four — it covers any goal achieved, not just financial ones. For example, a painter may enjoy great success without much prosperity. A boom is a temporary economic upswing, whereas prosperity implies a more lasting condition.

wealth ↗success ↗affluenceboom ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • years of prosperity
  • road to prosperity
  • level of prosperity
  • era of prosperity

Phrases

  • period of prosperity
  • economic prosperity
  • shared prosperity
  • future prosperity

Prepositions

  • prosperity for [a region/group]
  • prosperity of [a nation/era]

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Prosperity comes from Latin prosperitas, meaning 'good fortune' or 'success.' The root word prosperus means 'favorable, fortunate' — originally referring to a lucky outcome. It entered English through Old French prosperité in the 1200s and gradually took on its modern meaning of sustained material and social well-being.