having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy.
a rich man;
a rich nation.
abounding in natural resources.
a rich territory.
having wealth or valuable resources (usually followed byin ).
a country rich in traditions.
abounding (usually followed by in orwith ).
a countryside rich in beauty;
a design rich with colors.
of great value or worth; valuable.
a rich collection of antique vases.
(of food) delectably and perhaps unhealthfully spicy, or sweet and abounding in butter or cream: a rich pastry.
a rich gravy;
a rich pastry.
costly, expensively elegant, or fine, as dress or jewels.
elaborately abundant; sumptuous.
a rich feast.
using valuable materials or characterized by elaborate workmanship, as buildings or furniture.
abounding in desirable elements or qualities.
a man rich in kindness.
(of wine) strong and finely flavored.
(of color) deep, strong, or vivid.
rich purple.
full and mellow in tone: a rich voice.
rich sounds;
a rich voice.
strongly fragrant; pungent.
a rich odor.
producing or yielding abundantly.
a rich soil.
abundant, plentiful, or ample.
a rich supply.
Automotive. (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively high ratio of fuel to air (contrasted with lean).
Informal.
highly amusing.
well supplied with wealth, property, etc; owning much
( as collective noun ; preceded by the )
the rich
having an abundance of natural resources, minerals, etc
a land rich in metals
producing abundantly; fertile
rich soil
well supplied (with desirable qualities); abundant (in)
a country rich with cultural interest
of great worth or quality; valuable
a rich collection of antiques
luxuriant or prolific
a rich growth of weeds
expensively elegant, elaborate, or fine; costly
a rich display
(of food) having a large proportion of flavoursome or fatty ingredients, such as spices, butter, or cream
having a full-bodied flavour
a rich ruby port
(of a smell) pungent or fragrant
(of colour) intense or vivid; deep
a rich red
(of sound or a voice) full, mellow, or resonant
(of a fuel-air mixture) containing a relatively high proportion of fuel Compare weak
very amusing, laughable, or ridiculous
a rich joke
a rich situation
Adrienne. 1929–2012, US poet and feminist writer; her volumes of poetry include Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law (1963) and Diving Into the Wreck (1973)
Buddy , real name Bernard Rich . 1917–87, US jazz drummer and band leader
Rich, wealthy, affluent all indicate abundance of possessions. Rich is the general word; it may imply that possessions are newly acquired: an oilman who became rich overnight. Wealthy suggests permanence, stability, and appropriate surroundings: a wealthy banker. Affluent usually suggests a generous amount of income, with a high standard of living and some social prestige and privilege: an affluent family.
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English rīce (adjective), ultimately from Celtic; cognate with German reich “wealthy”; akin to Latin rēx, Sanskrit rājan “king”
The rich are the wealthy people in society. If you daydream of owning multi-billion dollar corporations and driving around in fancy cars, then you dream of being one of the rich. Rich is a cognate (meaning a word that sounds the same and means the same) with various of Germanic, Frisian, and Dutch words for "king." Now it tends to be an adjective meaning "abundant." That might be abundant money, as in your rich cousin Henry. A rich sauce is buttery and creamy and delicious. Rich land is fertile and abundant in crops. A rich idea has many possible applications. Rich coffee is full, dark and intense.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Eighty years ago, though the Arsenal of Democracy had vanquished the Axis and weathered a withering Depression, the recovering American people found themselves rich in bills but short on laughs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Together, they form a rich yet incomplete portrait of an existence cut short, which McElwee hopes to broaden by weaving in meaning from before and after Adrian’s life, all captured by McElwee’s omnipresent camera.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Is this enough to set you on the path to feeling rich?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
The city today consistently ranks among the world’s most visited, drawing millions with its historic buildings, abundant parks and rich culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Atidina’s forest was one of the most ancient in the Archipelago; it was supposed to be rich brown forever.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
I’ll bet everyone except Rich Paul is hoping he’ll retire and free everyone else from the never-ending guessing game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The one guy who may know, James’s longtime agent Rich Paul, is on his podcast playing LeBron CSI with a whiteboard, outlining suspected destinations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
But earlier this week, James' agent Rich Paul said he is "not going to be rushed" into making a decision.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Rich home buyers are powering the housing market.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
“That’s what I think,” said Rich, as if what Jeff had just said really meant anything.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Demand for Cartier’s most expensive jewels is strong now that wealthy households are getting even richer from surging stock markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
For national tournaments, the corollary is how poorer countries always have to match up against richer ones for regional faceoffs and qualifiers that culminate in the quadrennial dream that is the World Cup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
But each new fossil tooth pulled from Australia's ancient deposits adds another clue, making the story of marsupial evolution more complex, and far richer.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
The BBC's Australia reporter Lana Lan explains how their work suggests that bees might have a much richer inner life than ever thought before.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
He weren’t no richer than nobody else, but your daddy was always wantin’ to help.”
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
"It's bohemian but it's also populated by some of the richest people in the world. It's a strange dichotomy."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The Iberian conquest of the Americas made 16th-century Seville the richest city in Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Wildberries CEO Tatiana Kim -- Russia's richest woman -- has said the company will support the families of wounded and killed employees and was working on security measures and re-directing goods.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 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
Henry Laurens of South Carolina, the president of the Continental Congress for a term, had become one of America’s richest men by shipping as many as 8,000 people from Africa to America.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
