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• rich
  rich

  adjective

  having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy.
• Rich
  Rich

  noun

  Adrienne, 1929–2012, U.S. poet and feminist.

rich

¹ American  

[rich] / rɪtʃ /

adjective

• richer,
  comparative
• richest
  superlative

1. having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy.

   a rich man;

   a rich nation.

   Synonyms:

   moneyed, well-to-do

   Antonyms:

   poor

2. abounding in natural resources.

   a rich territory.

   Antonyms:

   poor

3. having wealth or valuable resources (usually followed byin ).

   a country rich in traditions.

   Antonyms:

   poor

4. abounding (usually followed by in orwith ).

   a countryside rich in beauty;

   a design rich with colors.

   Antonyms:

   poor

5. of great value or worth; valuable.

   a rich collection of antique vases.

   Antonyms:

   poor

6. (of food) delectably and perhaps unhealthfully spicy, or sweet and abounding in butter or cream: a rich pastry.

   a rich gravy;

   a rich pastry.

7. costly, expensively elegant, or fine, as dress or jewels.

   Synonyms:

   dear, high-priced, precious

8. elaborately abundant; sumptuous.

   a rich feast.

9. using valuable materials or characterized by elaborate workmanship, as buildings or furniture.

10. abounding in desirable elements or qualities.

    a man rich in kindness.

11. (of wine) strong and finely flavored.

12. (of color) deep, strong, or vivid.

    rich purple.

    Synonyms:

    vibrant, intense

13. full and mellow in tone: a rich voice.

    rich sounds;

    a rich voice.

14. strongly fragrant; pungent.

    a rich odor.

    Synonyms:

    aromatic

15. producing or yielding abundantly.

    a rich soil.

    Synonyms:

    luxuriant, prolific, productive, fruitful

    Antonyms:

    poor

16. abundant, plentiful, or ample.

    a rich supply.

    Synonyms:

    bounteous, copious, bountiful

    Antonyms:

    poor

17. Automotive. (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively high ratio of fuel to air (contrasted with lean).

18. Informal.

    1. highly amusing.

    2. ridiculous; absurd.

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noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. rich persons collectively.

   new tax shelters for the rich.

Rich ² American  

[rich] / rɪtʃ /

noun

1. Adrienne, 1929–2012, U.S. poet and feminist.

2. a male given name, form of Richard.

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rich ¹ British  

/ rɪtʃ /

adjective

1. 1. well supplied with wealth, property, etc; owning much

   2. ( as collective noun ; preceded by the )

      the rich

2. having an abundance of natural resources, minerals, etc

   a land rich in metals

3. producing abundantly; fertile

   rich soil

4. well supplied (with desirable qualities); abundant (in)

   a country rich with cultural interest

5. of great worth or quality; valuable

   a rich collection of antiques

6. luxuriant or prolific

   a rich growth of weeds

7. expensively elegant, elaborate, or fine; costly

   a rich display

8. (of food) having a large proportion of flavoursome or fatty ingredients, such as spices, butter, or cream

9. having a full-bodied flavour

   a rich ruby port

10. (of a smell) pungent or fragrant

11. (of colour) intense or vivid; deep

    a rich red

12. (of sound or a voice) full, mellow, or resonant

13. (of a fuel-air mixture) containing a relatively high proportion of fuel Compare weak

14. very amusing, laughable, or ridiculous

    a rich joke

    a rich situation

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noun

1. See riches

Rich ² British  

/ rɪtʃ /

noun

1. 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)

2. Buddy , real name Bernard Rich . 1917–87, US jazz drummer and band leader

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rich Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing rich

• embarrassment of riches
• from rags to riches
• strike it rich

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Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overrichness
  noun
• richness
  noun
• overrich
  adjective
• superrich
  adjective
• ultrarich
  adjective
• overrichly
  adverb
• richly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• richer
  comparative
• richest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of rich

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”

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rich Rich richer richest

Researchers have discovered an unusually rich fossil site in a remote region of Canada's Northwest Territories, revealing new details about some of the earliest complex animals on Earth.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

That is what steadies me and breaks me in the same breath, that a land this rich in what it gives, in shade and figs and refuge and myth, keeps burning while the world half-watches.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

The rich complained, but mayors from Rudy Giuliani to de Blasio courted the city’s most successful to help keep the city in the black.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Ellis, a sweet guy not averse to skimming a little off the top when dealing with moneyed customers — it’s a summer getaway for the rich — takes an immediate shine to Annie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Solitary was teaching me that it was not possible to be rich alone.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

American businesses have navigated Trump’s trade war nimbly, said Rich Lesser, chair of Boston Consulting Group.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Glad his decision was strictly based on happiness, like Rich Paul assured us, not ring chasing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

During the film-technology and camera maker’s earnings call on Thursday, CEO Rich Gelfond noted the sky-high resale prices of tickets for the film, whose stars include Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 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 men had guards about their courtyards, and light-dozing hounds, and servants who slept across the storeroom doors.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

The appeal is clear - vote to help make us richer and we'll make you richer too.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

By contrast, participants who placed greater value on dreams and believed that dreaming had personal meaning tended to describe richer and more immersive experiences.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026

It is, of course, good news when people get richer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 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

Those who contend that the extraordinary accumulation of wealth is a good thing say that while the rich are indeed getting richer, so are most people who work hard and save.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

More than a decade ago, it was common for a state’s richest taxpayers to pay around 6% in state income tax, he noted.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

The Texas rocket, internet and AI company founded and run by the world’s richest man reported a second-quarter loss of $541 million, compared to a $1-billion loss for the same period a year ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

In 2025, the richest 20 percent of the population held average net assets 45 times those of the poorest 20 percent, according to official data.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

The Dodgers already have the best, richest roster in the game and they keep reaching over with their straw and drinking everyone’s milkshake.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

People said he was one of the richest men in the country.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Related Words

• elegant
• expensive
• fertile
• full
• gorgeous
• lush
• plentiful
• smart
• splendid
• valuable