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the pursuit of anything desirable; making gain, or increase; thriving; successful; as, a prosperous voyage; a prosperous undertaking; a prosperous man or nation.

Not prosperous. [Obs.] Dryden. -- Im*pros"per*ous*ly, adv. [Obs.] -- Im*pros"per*ous*ness, n. [Obs.]

To make low or humble. [Obs.] Spenser. Men are apt to prefer a prosperous error before an afflicted truth. Jer. Taylor.

of persons. Apter to give than thou wit be to ask. Beau. & Fl. That lofty pity with which prosperous folk are apt to remember their grandfathers. F. Harrison.

Prosperous; fortunate; as, auspicious years. "Auspicious chief." Dryden.

Good; prosperous; as, boon voyage. [Obs.]

Well; thrivingly; prosperously. [Colloq.]

To go on prosperously; to succeed. [Obs.] New, Hephestion, does not this matter cotton as I would Lyly.

To pass gradually from a sound, prosperous, or perfect state, to one of imperfection, adversity, or dissolution; to waste away; to decline; to fail; to become weak, corrupt, or disintegrated; to rot; to perish; as, a tree decays; fortunes decay; hopes decay. Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth ac…

etc.; to weaken in spirit or efficiency. The demoralizing example of profligate power and prosperous crime. Walsh. The vices of the nobility had demoralized the army. Bancroft.

Unprosperous; unfortunate. [Obs.] Spenser.

Appearing only when times or circumstances are prosperous; as, a fair-weather friend. Fair-weather sailor, a make-believe or inexperienced sailor; -- the nautical equivalent of carpet knight.

Characterized by felicity; happy; prosperous; delightful; skilful; successful; happily applied or expressed; appropriate. Felicitous words and images. M. Arnold. -- Fe*lic"i*tous*ly, adv. -- Fe*lic"i*tous*ness, n.

To be prosperous; to increase in wealth, honor, comfort, happiness, or whatever is desirable; to thrive; to be prominent and influental; specifically, of authors, painters, etc., to be in a state of activity or production. When all the workers of iniquity do flourish. Ps. xcii 7 Bad men as frequently prosper and flouri…

Success; prosperous journeying; -- a contraction of the phrase, "God speed you." [Written also as two separate words.] Receive him not into house, neither bid him God speed. 2 John 10.

some success; as, the army gains ground on the enemy. (c) To gain credit; to become more prosperous or influential. -- To get, or To gather, ground, to gain ground. [R.] "Evening mist . . . gathers ground fast." Milton. There is no way for duty to prevail, and get ground of them, but by bidding higher. South. -- To g…

Favored by hap, luck, or fortune; lucky; fortunate; successful; prosperous; satisfying desire; as, a happy expedient; a happy effort; a happy venture; a happy omen. Chymists have been more happy in finding experiments than the causes of them. Boyle.

intance. Beau. & Fl. These promises are fair, the parties sure, And our induction dull of prosperous hope. Shak.

able. [Obs.] Such a person appeareth in a far more honorable and invidious state than any prosperous man. Barrow.

To thrive poorly; to be not thrifty or prosperous. [Obs.]