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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

During the 1980s and 1990s, Serie A was both enormously wealthy and the undisputed home of football's biggest stars.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

A commonly held stereotype about Catalina Island is that it’s home to only the wealthy — people who can afford sailboats and vacation homes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Though the story is focused on a wealthy couple and a dispute involving two multimillion-dollar homes, women across the socioeconomic spectrum have embraced it as a rallying cry for financial independence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Think pieces in major media outlets described the injection as a “coveted accessory” for wealthy people and a “watershed moment for scientific discovery.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

I didn’t come from a wealthy home, but I’d never in my life eaten gari with nothing but water, and lake water at that!

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

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 buyers—and their kids—could be behind the bump.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

Wealthy investors are now obsessed with losing, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

Wealthy families like ours always have elaborate funerals— Metias’s takes place inside a building with soaring baroque archways and stained-glass windows.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

Ko Jae-ok, 87, has collected handheld battery-powered fans discarded by wealthier Seoul citizens, but found they provide little relief.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Success Academy students are disproportionately black, Hispanic and low-income, yet they outperform their peers in traditional public schools and students from wealthier and predominantly white school districts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“The recipient may be wealthier, but may also face substantially higher taxes, Medicare costs and administrative responsibilities at a stage of life when simplicity matters most.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

The EPI said the overall difference in academic achievement between low-income students and their wealthier peers was now 17% greater for children in early years than it was before Covid.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The exceptions are the kids from the wealthier districts, the volunteers, the ones who have been fed and trained throughout their lives for this moment.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Swift’s team deployed facial recognition tracking on concertgoers but turned it off for some of the wealthiest and most renowned names at her Madison Square Garden rehearsal dinner.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

In 1982, the first year of the Forbes 400, it took $100 million to make the list, and the wealthiest American was Daniel Keith Ludwig, worth $2 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

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

Sir Ian was one of Scotland's wealthiest people, with a personal worth estimated at £1.8bn.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

A half hour later, dusk drops over the city of Serra, and I am following the Tribesman swiftly through the Mercator Quarter, home to the wealthiest members of the Martial merchant class.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Related Words

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