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• wealthy
  wealthy

  adjective

  having great wealth; rich; affluent.
• Wealthy
  Wealthy

  noun

  a variety of red apple, grown in the U.S., ripening in early autumn.

wealthy

¹ American  

[wel-thee] / ˈwɛl θi /

adjective

wealthier, comparative wealthiest superlative

1. having great wealth; rich; affluent.

   a wealthy person; a wealthy nation.

   Synonyms:

   moneyed, well-to-do, prosperous

   Antonyms:

   poor

2. characterized by, pertaining to, or suggestive of wealth.

   a wealthy appearance.

3. rich in character, quality, or amount; abundant or ample.

   a novel that is wealthy in its psychological insights.

   Synonyms:

   copious

   Antonyms:

   scanty

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Wealthy ² American  

[wel-thee] / ˈwɛl θi /

noun

1. a variety of red apple, grown in the U.S., ripening in early autumn.

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wealthy British  

/ ˈwɛlθɪ /

adjective

1. possessing wealth; affluent; rich

2. of, characterized by, or relating to wealth

3. abounding

   wealthy in friends

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Synonym Usage

See rich.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• wealthiness
  noun
• overwealthy
  adjective
• quasi-wealthy
  adjective
• subwealthy
  adjective
• superwealthy
  adjective
• unwealthy
  adjective
• wealthily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• wealthier
  comparative
• wealthiest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of wealthy¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; wealth + -y ¹

Origin of Wealthy²

Origin uncertain

Explanation

If you have riches you are wealthy. Don't be misled into thinking "riches" means only money — to many people, to have a healthy family and to be surrounded by love is to be abundantly wealthy. The Old English word wela, via the Middle English welth, meaning "happiness and prosperity in abundance," is the source of our noun wealth. Although the Middle English wele meant "well-being," the word referred primarily to money and possessions. Many people still feel that way, but Henry David Thoreau offered a different view: "Wealth is the ability to fully experience life." That is, true wealth is having whatever means the most to you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wealthy Wealthy wealthier wealthiest

The area sits across the bridge from the wealthy city-state of Singapore, where Srinivasan said he is now a citizen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

The couple’s reported income was the highest in 2021, when they sold their home in Kentfield, a wealthy enclave in Marin County, for $5.9 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

That is especially true now that attacks on Saudi Arabia and other wealthy, oil-producing Gulf states have left them weakened.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Blanche knows that world quite well; he has become personally wealthy doing exactly this kind of work.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

Mr. Underhill was a wealthy insurance executive who had first experimented with Spiritualism when he’d been widowed a few years back.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Wealthy families have increased sports investing over the past few years, expanding into women’s sports and emerging leagues.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

Wealthy buyers who are immune to the challenges of today’s high-interest-rate environment are driving brisk sales of luxury homes.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Wealthy countries and developing nations are at loggerheads in talks at the World Health Organization's headquarters over how the pandemic agreement, adopted last year, will work in practice.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

Wealthy countries will respond by diversifying supply, strengthening buffers and accelerating alternatives, while poorer ones will often be forced to choose what is cheapest rather than most secure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

Wealthy research foundations were especially interested in isotopes for medical research and cancer treatment.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Meanwhile, stations near wealthier neighborhoods, downtown areas, highway on-ramps and airports are sometimes more expensive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Many have also missed out on the big gains in housing values and stock-market portfolios enjoyed by wealthier households.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

We’ve long known that wealthier people live longer.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

After surviving an attempted ouster two years prior, chief Sam Altman had carved OpenAI into his nascent industry’s undisputed king and hitched himself closely to the much wealthier Microsoft to bankroll growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

It was mainly the wealthier Europeans who became land barons, plantation owners, and successful businessmen in the colonies.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

The Dodgers’ injury-scarred rotation needed a stud starting pitcher like Skubal and, as this column noted last month, there was no excuse for baseball’s wealthiest and smartest team not to grab him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

“Why would you give money to an entity being funded by one of the wealthiest people in the world?” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

South Africa, the continent's wealthiest nation, has long been a magnet for migrants from elsewhere on the continent.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

That figure would make Teixeira likely the wealthiest member of the Texas delegation and one of the richest in Congress.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

Whenever Grandmother started lecturing him about his ancestors—how they’d come over from China and prospered in the import/export business, eventually becoming one of the wealthiest Chinese families in Vancouver—well, it was boring.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• affluent
• independent
• moneyed
• prosperous
• upscale
• well-heeled
• well-off
• well-to-do