wealth

American  

[welth] / wɛlθ /

noun

1. a great quantity or store of money, valuable possessions, property, or other riches.

   the wealth of a city.

2. an abundance or profusion of anything; plentiful amount.

   a wealth of imagery.

   Synonyms:

   fullness , amplitude , richness

3. Economics.

   1. all things that have a monetary or exchange value.

   2. anything that has utility and is capable of being appropriated or exchanged.

4. rich or valuable contents or produce.

   the wealth of the soil.

5. the state of being rich; prosperity; affluence.

   persons of wealth and standing.

   Synonyms:

   fortune , opulence

   Antonyms:

   poverty

6. Obsolete.  happiness.

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wealth British  

/ wɛlθ /

noun

1. a large amount of money and valuable material possessions

2. the state of being rich

3. a great profusion

   a wealth of gifts

4. economics all goods and services with monetary, exchangeable, or productive value

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Other Word Forms

• overwealth noun
• wealthless adjective

Etymology

Origin of wealth

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English welth; equivalent to well ¹ + -th ¹; modeled on health

Example Sentences

Signs of rising wealth are hard to miss around military bases.

From The Wall Street Journal

Americans had concealed this through increased female workforce participation and rising house prices that created an illusion of wealth as wages flatlined.

From The Wall Street Journal

“In a world where there’s a wealth of information,” he said, “there’s a poverty of attention.”

From Los Angeles Times

U.S. and Russian companies could join to exploit the vast mineral wealth in the Arctic.

From The Wall Street Journal

Others may have been simply dazzled by his wealth, journalists and those who knew him have suggested.

From BBC

Related Words

• abundance
• affluence
• cash
• property
• prosperity
• revenue
• riches
• richness
• security
• treasure
• worth