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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

Every wealthy family I’ve worked with employed investment managers, financial advisers or family-office professionals.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026

On Friday, authorities ordered the evacuation of 40,000 of people from Cap Ferret, a peninsula in southwestern France that draws wealthy vacationers to its white sand beaches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Moving rapidly through dense pine forests, the blaze spread to the Cap-Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist destination on the Atlantic coast long favoured by wealthy French families and known for sand dunes and oyster shacks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Marriage changes inheritance rights in many states, and some states have homestead laws providing equity protection for the less wealthy partner.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

One of its leaders is Robert Purvis, a wealthy mixed-race abolitionist who had inherited a large amount of money from his white father, a cotton broker.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

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 over how the pandemic agreement, which was adopted last year, will work in practice.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Wealthy consumers driving up inflation doesn’t seem to be on the Fed’s radar yet.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 13, 2026

Wealthy countries will respond by diversifying supply, strengthening buffers and accelerating alternatives, while poorer ones will often be forced to choose what is cheapest rather than most secure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

Wealthy research foundations were especially interested in isotopes for medical research and cancer treatment.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Developing countries like Thailand are aging rapidly before they grow rich, lacking the pension systems and savings found in wealthier nations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

We’ve long known that wealthier people live longer.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

After surviving an attempted ouster two years prior, chief Sam Altman had carved OpenAI into his nascent industry’s undisputed king and hitched himself closely to the much wealthier Microsoft to bankroll growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

While hard discounters traditionally rely on lower-income demographics, years of persistent inflation have flipped the script, forcing wealthier households to aggressively trade down.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The de Vries family is even wealthier than I'd realized; the furnishings in the rooms we pass are ornate and expensive-looking, with paintings on the walls and a rich, textured wallpaper.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

That figure would make Teixeira likely the wealthiest member of the Texas delegation and one of the richest in Congress.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

The wealthiest country on the continent, South Africa has long been a destination for documented and undocumented African workers searching for work they cannot find at home.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

But some fans believe that clubs - particularly the wealthiest - want fewer season-ticket holders in their stadiums, because selling seats for matches on an individual basis generates more revenue per ticket.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

The wealthiest 10% of households own 89% of all stocks, according to 2021 Federal Reserve data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

The cathedral schools are for the wealthiest and most promising boys in Christendom.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Related Words

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