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Flourish

v. hopeful, joyful warm

What it means

Meaning 1

To develop strongly in conditions that support health or success.

Reach for it when describing a person, community, organization, or living thing doing more than merely surviving

Young musicians flourish when practice includes choice and useful feedback.

Meaning 2

To display something with a sweeping or showy gesture.

Reach for it when describing theatrical movement or conspicuous presentation

The host flourished the old key before opening the restored theater.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

Meaning 1: To develop strongly in conditions that support health or success.

  • everyday

    thrive

    Fits when health and strong progress are both evident

    Careful Thrive focuses on condition, while flourish can also suggest visible abundance.

  • warm

    blossom

    Fits when a person's confidence or talent opens gradually

    Careful The floral image may feel sentimental in a business report.

  • professional

    excel

    Fits when performance surpasses a standard or peers

    Careful Someone may flourish through wellbeing without outperforming anyone.

  • formal

    prosper

    Fits when material or organizational success is central

    Careful Prosper can sound financial when personal growth is intended.

Meaning 2: To display something with a sweeping or showy gesture.

  • everyday

    wave

    Fits when the physical motion needs no dramatic coloring

    Careful Wave misses the deliberate showmanship in flourish.

  • professional

    display

    Fits when making an object visible is the practical action

    Careful Display names a static arrangement, not the sweeping gesture of a flourish.

  • formal

    present

    Fits when the object is formally shown to an audience

    Careful Present is too restrained for a flamboyant movement.

  • literary

    brandish

    Fits when an object is waved prominently, often with menace

    Careful Brandish can make a celebratory gesture sound threatening.

Opposites 3

  • wither
  • decline
  • conceal

Common phrases 3

  • flourish under

    New writers flourish under editors who explain each revision.

  • flourish in

    Shade-loving plants flourish in the sheltered courtyard.

  • flourish a flag

    The guide will flourish a flag when the procession may begin.

Word family 1

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Tharthan, New England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated