Meanings
plural growths
- countableuncountableAn increase in size, number, value, or strength.
Nanoelectronics is one of the area's few growth industries .
1 more example
It may be that a free society as we have known it carries in itself the forces of its own destruction, that once freedom has been achieved it is taken for granted and ceases to be valued, and that the free growth of ideas which is the essence of a free society will bring about the destruction of the foundations on which it depends.
1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, pages 431-432Synonyms: enlargement, expansion, increase, increment
- abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableeconomicsEllipsis of economic growth.
Growth was dampened by a softening of the global economy in 2001, but picked up in the subsequent years due to strong growth in China.
2 more examples
Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today.
2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70Liz Truss has promised Britons she has “got your back” and set out a plan for “growth, growth and growth” in a conference speech disrupted by protesters asking who voted for her plan.
2022 October 5, Rowena Mason, quoting Liz Truss, “Liz Truss promises ‘growth, growth and growth’ in protest-hit speech”, in The Guardian - countableuncountableAn increase in psychological strength or resilience; an increased ability to overcome adversity.
Struggle, disappointment, and criticism all contribute to a person's growth.
- countableuncountablebiologyThe act of growing, getting bigger or higher.
Synonyms: development, maturation
- countableuncountablebiologySomething that grows or has grown.
Scary-looking rabbits were hopping around Fort Collins. These weren’t your standard cute, fluffy bunnies; they had horn-like growths protruding from their faces and bodies.
2025 August 14, Angela Haupt, “What to Know About the Horned ‘Zombie’ Rabbits Hopping Around Colorado”, in TIMESynonyms: vegetation
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn increase in size, number, value, or strength.
nounThe act of growing, getting bigger or higher.
nounSomething that grows or has grown.
nounAn abnormal mass such as a tumor.
antonym(s) of “increase in size”
antonym(s) of “act of growing”
More synonyms by meaning
noun(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
nouna process of becoming larger or longer or more numerous or more important
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From grow + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Compare Old Frisian grēd ("meadow, pasture"; > North Frisian greyde (“growth, pasture”)), Middle High German gruote, gruot (“greens, fresh growth, shoot”), Old Norse gróðr ("growth, crop"; > Faroese grøði, Danish grøde (“fruits”), Swedish gröda (“crop, harvest”)). More at grow.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek αὔξησις, φῦμα
- αὔξησις (aúxēsis)increase in size
- φῦμα (phûma)pathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Arabic تَنْمِيَة, نُمُو
- تَنْمِيَة (tanmiya)increase in size
- نُمُو (numū)increase in size
Bulgarian расте́ж, ръст
- расте́ж (rastéž)increase in size
- ръст (răst)increase in size
- нара́стване (narástvane)act of growing
Catalan creixement
- creixementincrease in size
Chinese Cantonese 生長 /生长
- 生長 /生长increase in size
Chinese Mandarin 生長 /生长
- 生長 /生长 (shēngzhǎng)increase in size
Czech růst, vzrůst
- růstincrease in size
- vzrůstincrease in size
- nárůstincrease in size
- růstact of growing
- vzrůstact of growing
- porostsomething that grows or has grown
- bujenípathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Danish vækst, vækst
- vækstincrease in size
- vækstsomething that grows or has grown
- vækstpathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Dutch groei, toename
- groeiincrease in size
- toenameincrease in size
- groeiact of growing
- groeisomething that grows or has grown
Esperanto kreskiĝo, kreskaĵo
- kreskiĝoincrease in size
- kreskaĵosomething that grows or has grown
Estonian kasv
- kasvincrease in size
Finnish kasvu, kasvu
- kasvuincrease in size
- kasvuact of growing
- kasvusomething that grows or has grown
- kasvainpathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
- kasvannainenpathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
- pesäkepathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
French croissance, croissance
- croissanceincrease in size
- croissancepathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
German Wachstum, Wachstum
- Wachstumincrease in size
- Wachstumact of growing
- Bewuchssomething that grows or has grown
- Vegetationsomething that grows or has grown
- Wuchssomething that grows or has grown
- Bewucherungsomething that grows or has grown
- Geschwulstpathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
- Wucherungpathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Greek ανάπτυξη
- ανάπτυξη (anáptyxi)increase in size
Hebrew גדילה, צמיחה
- גדילה (gdilɑ)increase in size
- צמיחה (tsmiḥɑ)increase in size
- צמיחה (tsmiḥɑ)act of growing
- צמחייה (tsimḥiɑ)something that grows or has grown
- גִּדּוּל (giddúl)something that grows or has grown
- גִּדּוּל (gidul)pathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Hindi विकास, वर्धन
- विकास (vikās)increase in size
- वर्धन (vardhan)increase in size
- वर्धन (vardhan)act of growing
Hungarian növekedés
- növekedésincrease in size
Indonesian pertumbuhan
- pertumbuhanact of growing
Irish forás, fás
- forásincrease in size
- fásincrease in size
- borrúlachtincrease in size
- breisiúact of growing
- forásact of growing
- fásact of growing
- borrúlachtact of growing
Italian crescita, crescita
- crescitaincrease in size
- crescitaact of growing
- crescitapathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
- accrescimentopathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Japanese 成長, 生長
- 成長 (seichō)increase in size
- 生長 (seichō)increase in size
Korean 성장, 생장
- 성장 (seongjang)increase in size
- 생장 (saengjang)increase in size
Latin auctus
- auctusincrease in size
Latvian augšana, izaugsme
- augšanaincrease in size
- izaugsmeincrease in size
Lithuanian augimas
- augimasincrease in size
Māori ngene
- ngenepathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Norwegian Bokmål vekst, framvekst
- vekstincrease in size
- framvekstincrease in size
- vekstact of growing
Persian رشد, وخشش
- رشد (rošd)increase in size
- وخشش (vaxšeš)increase in size
- رویش (ruyeš)act of growing
Polish wzrost, rozwój
- wzrostincrease in size
- rozwójincrease in size
- rośnięcieact of growing
- wzrastanieact of growing
- naroślpathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Portuguese acréscimo, crescimento
- acréscimoincrease in size
- crescimentoincrease in size
- crescimentoact of growing
- crescimentopathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Russian рост, разви́тие
- рост (rost)increase in size
- разви́тие (razvítije)increase in size
- рост (rost)act of growing
- приро́ст (priróst)act of growing
- возраста́ние (vozrastánije)act of growing
- по́росль (póroslʹ)something that grows or has grown
- отро́сток (otróstok)something that grows or has grown
- наро́ст (naróst)pathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Scottish Gaelic fàs, fàs
- fàsincrease in size
- fàsact of growing
Slovak rast, vzrast
- rastincrease in size
- vzrastincrease in size
- rastact of growing
Spanish crecimiento, crecimiento
- crecimientoincrease in size
- crecimientoact of growing
- crecimientopathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Swahili ukuaji, ukuaji
- ukuajiincrease in size
- ukuajiact of growing
Swedish stigande, tilltagande
- stigandeincrease in size
- tilltagandeincrease in size
- tillväxtincrease in size
- utvidgningincrease in size
- tillväxtact of growing
- växtact of growing
- utvecklingact of growing
- vegetationsomething that grows or has grown
- växtsomething that grows or has grown
- växtlighetsomething that grows or has grown
- svulstpathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
- växtpathology: abnormal mass such as a tumor
Turkish büyüme, büyüme
- büyümeincrease in size
- büyümeact of growing
Ukrainian ріст, прирі́ст
- ріст (rist)increase in size
- прирі́ст (pryríst)act of growing
Welsh cynnydd, twf
- cynnyddincrease in size
- twfact of growing
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with growth
All rhymes →Cite this entry
growth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/growth
“growth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/growth. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “growth,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/growth.
Source: growth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.