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• 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.

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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]

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Etymology

Origin of better-off

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

better-off better off

The gap is the difference between the 86.6% of better-off students who got A to C grades this year, compared to 71% of those in the most deprived areas.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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

It’s not to drag the relatively better-off down to the bottom, but to allow more people to pull themselves up.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2025

She had hoped to build the Fugees into a well-organized program that provided refugee children with all the opportunities better-off American kids enjoyed.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

Tarlov has been an accepted part of the Fox News family, recently signing a three-year contract despite Trump’s suggestion that “The Five” would be better off without her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

He would have been better off staying out of it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Would I be better off rolling the money back into a SEP IRA?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

All this together, in theory, leaves people better off - but it takes time for the benefits to be felt, and it does not necessarily benefit everyone.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

My stomach growls so loudly that I cannot stand it, and next to me Ida is no better off, just as awake and miserable as me.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland