The best synonyms for growing are increasing, expanding, rising, developing, flourishing, and thriving. The right choice depends on what is growing. Use increasing for numbers, developing for skills or children, thriving for success, and burgeoning for rapid, formal growth. Replacing “growing” with the wrong word can shift your meaning, so this guide sorts each option by sense and tone.
Quick Answer: The Best Words to Use Instead of “Growing”
| If something is… | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Getting bigger or more numerous | increasing, expanding, rising | An increasing number of commuters now cycle. |
| Becoming more skilled or mature | developing, maturing | She is a maturing writer with a clear voice. |
| Succeeding | thriving, flourishing, booming | The café is thriving. |
| Growing very fast (formal) | burgeoning, mushrooming | The city has a burgeoning tech scene. |
| Spreading | spreading, proliferating | Rumors are spreading online. |
Correct: A rising number of students are applying.
Incorrect: A flourishing number of students are applying. (“Flourishing” describes success, not quantity.)
What Does “Growing” Mean?
“Growing” means getting bigger, stronger, more numerous, or more developed over time. Dictionaries list two main senses: increasing in size, amount, or degree, and becoming bigger and developing into an adult.
Growing as an Adjective
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries notes that the adjective appears only before a noun, as in a growing problem. It can describe quantity (a growing audience), intensity (growing frustration), or a living thing’s development (a growing child). It also describes conditions for plants, such as the growing season.
Growing as a Verb Form and a Noun
“Growing” is also the -ing form of the verb grow. As a noun, it can mean the raising of plants or the process of development, though this use is less common.
- Verb form: Sales are growing steadily.
- Noun: Growing takes patience, whether you farm or write.
Pronunciation and Word Forms
Growing has two syllables with stress on the first. Oxford gives the UK pronunciation as /ˈɡrəʊɪŋ/ and the US pronunciation as /ˈɡroʊɪŋ/. The verb forms are grow, grew (past simple), grown (past participle), and growing (-ing form).
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| grow | Tomatoes grow well in warm soil. |
| grew | The company grew quickly last year. |
| grown | Her confidence has grown. |
| growing | The team is growing. |
Synonyms for Growing by Meaning
One word rarely replaces “growing” in every sentence. Pick the group that matches your meaning first.
Increasing in Size, Amount, or Intensity
These are the most common replacements. Dictionaries list increasing, expanding, escalating, mounting, rising, swelling, and mushrooming in this sense.
- Escalating suggests a worsening spiral: escalating costs.
- Mounting suits pressure or evidence: mounting evidence.
- Swelling suits crowds, rivers, and numbers.
- Mushrooming is informal and implies very fast growth.
Developing or Maturing
Use developing, maturing, evolving, advancing, or progressing when growth means improvement rather than size. A developing skill gets better. A maturing industry becomes stable and established.
Thriving and Prospering
When growth means success, choose thriving, flourishing, booming, prospering, or robust. Booming is common for economies and sales. Flourishing works for businesses, arts, and gardens alike.
Cultivating Plants and Crops
For farming and gardening, Merriam-Webster’s thesaurus lists cultivating, raising, rearing, tending, and propagating for the verb sense. Compare:
- They are growing herbs on the balcony.
- They are cultivating herbs on the balcony. (This sounds more deliberate.)
For plants that grow on their own, use sprouting, germinating, budding, or blooming.
Spreading Gradually
When something extends across an area or population, use spreading, proliferating, or multiplying. Proliferating is formal and often describes things people consider unwanted, such as bacteria or misinformation.
Formal and Professional Alternatives
Formal writing prefers precise, measurable words. Match the verb to the type of change.
Business and Economy
- Expanding fits markets, teams, and product lines: The firm is expanding into Asia.
- Scaling fits systems or operations: The platform is scaling to handle more users.
- Booming fits sales and demand.
- Gaining traction fits early-stage momentum.
Academic Writing and IELTS
IELTS graders reward varied vocabulary, so avoid repeating one word. Trend vocabulary lists rise, climb, increase, and go up for mild change, and soar, surge, and rocket for sharp change.
- The number of remote workers rose steadily between 2015 and 2020.
- Online sales surged during the holiday period.
Choose the word that matches the data. Use surged only for sudden, large changes.
Resume Verbs
“Grew” tells a recruiter direction but not method. Swap it for a verb that names what you did:
| Instead of… | Try | Example |
|---|---|---|
| grew revenue | increased, boosted | Boosted regional revenue by 18%. |
| grew the team | expanded, built | Built a support team from 3 to 12 people. |
| grew skills | developed, advanced | Developed advanced reporting skills. |
| grew accounts | acquired, scaled | Scaled enterprise accounts across four markets. |
Use only claims you can support with numbers.
Another Word for Growing as a Person
For personal growth, try maturing, developing, evolving, improving, progressing, or flourishing.
- She is evolving into a confident leader.
- He has been maturing since he moved abroad.
Avoid expanding for people unless you mean something specific, such as expanding your horizons.
Synonyms for Growing Up
“Growing up” usually means becoming an adult. Alternatives include maturing, coming of age, developing, reaching adulthood, and being raised.
- Growing up in Lahore shaped her taste in food. / Being raised in Lahore shaped her taste in food.
“Coming of age” often implies a meaningful turning point, so it is stronger than “growing up.”
Antonyms of Growing
The opposite of growing is shrinking or declining. Thesauruses list shrinking, decreasing, contracting, declining, diminishing, and wilting.
- Shrinking suits size: a shrinking audience.
- Declining suits trends: declining sales.
- Wilting suits plants or enthusiasm.
Growing vs Similar Words
Growing vs Developing
Growing mostly describes getting bigger or more numerous. Developing describes getting better, more complex, or more advanced. A business can grow without developing, and a skill can develop without growing in size. They overlap when something does both, as in a growing, developing child.
Growing vs Expanding
Expanding suggests widening scope or reach, such as new markets or space. Growing is broader and can be natural or accidental. Compare a growing waistline (natural, not a plan) with an expanding product range (usually deliberate).
Growing vs Burgeoning
Burgeoning is a formal word meaning growing or developing rapidly, and Oxford labels it formal. Merriam-Webster notes that burgeon entered Middle English from Anglo-French burjuner, meaning to bud or sprout. Some usage commentators object to its figurative sense of rapid growth, but dictionaries record that sense as the most common use today. Use it sparingly: a burgeoning start-up scene sounds natural, while a burgeoning shopping list sounds forced.
Common Mistakes When Replacing “Growing”
1. Assuming every synonym fits.
Incorrect: The company is flourishing its staff.
Correct: The company is expanding its staff.
“Flourishing” cannot take an object, and it describes success, not headcount.
2. Using positive words for harmful growth.
Incorrect: a thriving epidemic
Correct: a spreading epidemic or an escalating outbreak
“Thriving” signals approval.
3. Choosing a word that changes the meaning.
Incorrect: a developing number of complaints
Correct: a rising number of complaints
“Developing” suggests improvement, not quantity.
4. Overusing fancy words.
Growing is often the clearest option. A sentence packed with burgeoning, proliferating, and mushrooming reads as forced. Replace it only when a more precise word helps.
Practice Quiz
Choose the best word for each sentence.
- The river was ______ after three days of rain. (a. swelling b. maturing c. wilting)
- As a student, he is ______ into a skilled researcher. (a. escalating b. developing c. shrinking)
- Debt is a ______ concern for young families. (a. mounting b. germinating c. flourishing)
- The bakery is ______ now that it has a loyal customer base. (a. declining b. thriving c. spreading)
- Fix the sentence: The population of the island is thriving every decade. Replace “thriving” with a better word. (a. rising b. wilting c. cultivating)
- Which word is the antonym of “growing”? (a. expanding b. shrinking c. booming)
- Which word is the most formal? (a. mushrooming b. burgeoning c. getting bigger)
Answer Key
- a. swelling. Rivers swell; they do not mature or wilt.
- b. developing. The sentence is about skill, not size.
- a. mounting. It pairs naturally with concern and pressure.
- b. thriving. The context is business success.
- a. rising. Population is a number, so a quantity word fits.
- b. shrinking. It is the direct opposite.
- b. burgeoning. Oxford labels it formal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a simple synonym for growing?
Increasing is the simplest all-purpose synonym. For people or skills, developing works better.
What is a better word for growing?
It depends on the meaning. Use expanding for scope, thriving for success, rising for numbers, and maturing for development.
What is a formal synonym for growing?
Burgeoning, escalating, proliferating, and augmenting are formal. In everyday formal writing, increasing and expanding are the safest.
What is a synonym for growing a business?
Expanding, scaling, and building all work. “Grow” can also take an object in business English, as in grow the business.
What can I use instead of “grew” on a resume?
Use a verb that names the action, such as increased, expanded, boosted, built, or scaled. Add a measurable result when you have one.
What is a synonym for growing up?
Maturing, coming of age, and being raised are common options.
Is burgeoning the same as growing?
Not exactly. Burgeoning means growing rapidly and is more formal than growing. It fits trends and industries better than everyday objects.
What are the antonyms of growing?
Shrinking, declining, decreasing, contracting, and diminishing.
What is a synonym for growing plants?
Cultivating, raising, and tending are common. Verbs like sprouting and germinating describe plants that grow on their own.
Can “growing” describe negative things?
Yes. Phrases like a growing problem or growing anxiety are standard, and Oxford’s examples include a growing problem. For stronger wording, use escalating or mounting.
What are good IELTS alternatives to “growing”?
Use rise, increase, climb, surge, or soar depending on how sharp the change is. Match the verb to the data.
Is “growing” a noun?
Sometimes. Dictionaries record a noun sense meaning the raising of plants or the process of development, but the adjective and verb uses are far more common.
Final Takeaway: Match the Synonym to the Meaning
The best synonyms for growing depend on what is changing. Choose increasing or rising for numbers, developing for skills, thriving for success, and burgeoning for formal, rapid growth. When no other word is clearer, keep “growing.” A memory cue: ask yourself whether the thing is getting bigger, better, or more successful, then pick the word from that group.
