thrive
verb
Simple meaning
To grow strongly and do very well.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
thryvIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈθɹaɪv
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
intransitive
To grow or increase stature; to grow vigorously or luxuriantly, to flourish.
“The deer population in this town is thriving.”
intransitive
To increase in wealth or success; to prosper, be profitable.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To grow or increase stature; to grow vigorously or luxuriantly, to flourish.
Used this way, thrive is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The deer population in this town is thriving.”
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- get ahead , more casual, better suited to speech than writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to grow or increase stature
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.