Definition of rose

Short definition: The word rose means a type of flower known for its beauty, soft petals, and pleasant smell. Rose are often used as a symbol of love, romance, and deep feelings in gifts, poems, and special moments.

Looking for a clear and natural explanation of the word rose? The word rose feels special because it connects beauty, emotion, and everyday life in a simple way. People think of roses when they talk about love, care, and celebration, but the word also appears in daily language to describe growth, improvement, and even past actions. In real life, rose can be both something you see in a garden and something you use to describe how things change over time. Below, each meaning is explained in a relaxed and natural way, with explanations that feel warm and human instead of stiff like a textbook.

Noun forms: rose, roses
Verb forms: rise, rises, rising, rose, risen
Related: rosy adj., rosebud n.
Syllable: rose

1. A beautiful flower often connected with love and special moments.

   In its most common meaning, a rose is a flower that people give to express feelings. Red roses often mean love, white roses can mean peace, and yellow roses can show friendship. From birthdays to weddings, roses are part of moments people remember forever.

   He brought her a single rose to show how much he cared.
   The garden was full of colorful roses, making the whole place feel calm and romantic.
   She pressed a rose inside her book to keep the memory of that day.

   Synonyms: flower of love, romantic flower, garden rose, blooming rose, beautiful blossom, love flower, classic flower, fragrant flower, wedding flower, gift flower, soft-petal flower, delicate bloom
   Antonyms: weed, thorny plant (figurative), wild grass, dull plant, plain weed, unwanted plant, dry stem, lifeless plant, dead flower, faded bloom, withered plant, dull vegetation

2. The past form of “rise,” meaning to move upward.

   Rose is also the past form of the verb rise. It describes something that moved upward before, like the sun, prices, or even emotions. People use it all the time when talking about change that already happened.

   The sun rose early, filling the room with soft morning light.
   His confidence rose after he received positive feedback.
   Prices rose last year, making life more expensive for many families.

   Synonyms: increased, went up, climbed, grew, lifted, moved higher, advanced, improved, gained, became higher, went upward, developed
   Antonyms: fell, dropped, decreased, went down, declined, lowered, sank, reduced, lost value, slipped, weakened, fell back

3. A symbol of beauty mixed with difficulty.

   People often talk about a rose when they want to describe something beautiful that also has challenges. Just like a rose has thorns, life can be lovely but still hard at times.

   Their success was like a rose— beautiful, but reached through many struggles.
   She said every dream is a rose that comes with its own thorns.
   He learned that happiness, like a rose, takes patience to protect.

   Synonyms: beautiful challenge, sweet struggle, lovely difficulty, mixed blessing, beauty with pain, rewarding hardship, meaningful struggle, precious challenge, inspiring difficulty, tough beauty, delicate success, valued effort
   Antonyms: pure trouble, only hardship, easy comfort, painless success, simple joy, effortless win, smooth path, trouble-free life, easy pleasure, no-risk comfort, stress-free result, simple gain

4. A sign of improvement or positive change.

   Sometimes rose is used to describe emotional or personal growth. When someone feels better about themselves, people often say their confidence or hope “rose.”

   Her mood rose after spending time with her friends.
   His hopes rose when he heard the good news.
   Team spirit rose after they finally won a game.

   Synonyms: improved, lifted, strengthened, became better, grew stronger, felt brighter, gained confidence, became hopeful, felt happier, turned positive, moved forward, felt encouraged
   Antonyms: sank, worsened, declined, felt worse, became weaker, lost hope, dropped in spirit, became sadder, lost confidence, fell apart, grew negative, lost energy

5. A word often used in poetry and romantic language.

   In writing and songs, rose appears again and again as a symbol. It stands for love, beauty, memories, and moments that feel special. Writers use it to add emotion and warmth to their words.

   The poet compared her smile to a rose blooming in the morning sun.
   In the song, the rose represented love that never faded.
   He described their memories as a garden full of roses.

   Synonyms: love symbol, romantic image, poetic flower, beauty icon, emotional symbol, gentle image, soft metaphor, classic love sign, tender symbol, heartfelt image, romantic sign, beauty metaphor
   Antonyms: harsh symbol, cold image, dull metaphor, lifeless picture, dry language, emotionless sign, plain wording, hard expression, cold comparison, boring image, empty symbol, dull phrase