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

Green MSP Ariane Burgess warned evidence from previous help-to-buy schemes suggested that they made properties "less not more affordable", and that they benefited better-off buyers.

From BBC ● May 27, 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

Now I understand that these people I admired weren’t exactly rich, simply better-off than the people of my village, one of the poorest in Ecuador.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

From the get-go, Beutner said he was concerned that some school systems would misuse the new arts money — leaving students no better off than before in terms of arts education.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

He says the main benefit is the $1,000 starting subsidy but suggests many families would be better off using existing savings accounts.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 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

“You worry so much about honor when you’d be better off thinking of a way to get back to Caer Cadarn.”

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander