Jump To:

• better-off
  better-off

  adjective

  being in better circumstances, especially economically.
• better off
  better off

  In a more favorable position or financial circumstances. For example, They were better off flying than driving there, or They were better off than most of their neighbors. This phrase is the comparative form of well off. [Mid-1800s]

better-off

American  

[bet-er-awf, -of] / ˈbɛt ərˈɔf, -ˈɒf /

adjective

1. being in better circumstances, especially economically.

   Only the better-off nations can afford to send probes into space.

---

better off Idioms  

1. In a more favorable position or financial circumstances. For example, They were better off flying than driving there, or They were better off than most of their neighbors. This phrase is the comparative form of well off. [Mid-1800s]

---

Etymology

Origin of better-off

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

better-off better off

The gap between how well pupils from better-off backgrounds perform at school compared with their classmates from lower-income households has widened, according to a new report.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

"Sometimes, if medicines are leftover from the baby of a better-off family, we use it for the babies whose families cannot afford it," Fatima says.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

Yes, good public schools exist, but they tend to be in communities where only the better-off can afford to live.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Bankers interpret this as a sign that slightly better-off consumers are absorbing the higher prices, while lower-income customers are increasingly cutting back or seeking cheaper alternatives.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 8, 2026

In 1793 over 50 percent of Philadelphia’s blacks were live-in domestic workers, doing the cooking, cleaning, laundering, and child caring for better-off whites.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

"It's not that these people are worse off than those that came before them, but it's that they're no better off and that progress has stalled."

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Fat tissue is often viewed as something the body would be better off without.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

“It’s a brutal business — you are better off putting your money into treasury bills, historically, so it’s hard for studios.”

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

As to whether and when Rivian will be cash-positive, you’d be better off asking my cat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

There are some things she's better off not knowing, and the sordid details surrounding that lock-picking set is one of them.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland