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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

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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”

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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

You’re not playing new obscure songs that no one cares about; you want to give people a rich emotional experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Those same survey data show that rich households have a net worth at least four times higher than the lower-income groups.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

The dark glass tower offers sweeping views of the city, and the list of rich amenities includes a full-swing golf simulator, saltwater swimming pool and pet spa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

The Murchison meteorite that fell in Australia in 1969, and the Orgueil meteorite in France, 1864, have previously yielded a rich variety of organic molecules, including nucleobases.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

It was tall and slim and noble, a rich brown, its leaves yellow-gold.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Having witnessed AI stocks being “sold to death,” Goldman Sachs’ head of European equities trading, Rich Privorotsky, is advising fund managers “the micro remains strong, electoral uncertainty has diminished and positioning looks considerably cleaner.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

She will be playing Liz Rich, who moved into the farmhouse with her husband Bill in 1989, claiming they saw ghosts and experienced poltergeist activity.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

But for Rich, the war in Iran hits close to home.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Fain had clashed with another UAW vice president, Rich Boyer, who unsuccessfully challenged Fain for the top job.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

"Oh, I'm not going home," said Rich, returning to his calculations.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Some number of the latter-day innovators have become richer and more influential than the sober-sided suits ever were.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Just as several notes played together produce a richer sound than a single note, plasma waves containing multiple frequencies can interact with incoming particles in more complex ways.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

Also fueling the thirst for points: richer and richer programs, with banks increasingly competing to court big spenders with ultra-premium cards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

Colleges and universities are billions of dollars richer because of Elon Musk.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

Our tavern was finished with shingles, but some of the richer people, like Mr. Heron, had white clapboard siding on their houses.

From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

The world’s richest man spent more than $200 million supporting Paxton, according to federal filings.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

Much of that spending was the result of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.

From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2026

Alex, as the township is known, is a stone's throw away from Sandton, Africa's richest square mile, but the differences could not be starker.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

On the other hand, the richest quarter of households have very low debt burdens and have seen only relatively small increases in their debt burden since 2022.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

He was one of the richest shipowners in Salem.

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

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Related Words

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

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