The adjective rowdy describes things that are disorderly and noisy or disruptive, often groups of people gathered together for an event (a rowdy crowd at a game) or the gathering itself (a rowdy celebration). It can suggest roughness or boisterous fun, depending on the context. The adjective rambunctious conveys a similar active noisiness, but it skews younger, more commonly describing children or even young pets that are wildly boisterous and, thus, difficult to handle. But whatever difficulty this adjective suggests is usually couched in affection for the unrestrained energy of youth.

The outlook is promising for the verbs thrive and flourish, both of which broadly mean to do well. Thrive emphasizes growth; in the context of business or economics, this takes the form of prosperity or financial gain. Flourish comes ultimately from the Latin word for flower, flōs, and the notion of flowering or blossoming is helpful in understanding how it is used. This verb emphasizes evidence of full development or influence (the way blossoms are an indication of fruit to come). Something that is flourishing, then, is not only growing and thriving, but offering abundant indications of its healthy or successful state.

The adjective lasting describes things that continue or endure for a long time, as in a lasting friendship or a lasting impression. The adjective perennial is used to talk about things that are timeless, recurrent, or that last indefinitely. A perennial debate is one that comes up again and again, and is never fully settled or closed. A perennial favorite is something, be it a song, a book, or a meal, that never fails to please. Perennial has a more specific meaning when it’s used to describe plants: a perennial plant (also called simply a perennial) is one that dies back above ground, but sends up new growth year after year (as opposed to an annual plant, which lasts for one year or growing season only).