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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

"When you have countries that have rich biodiversity in them and you have companies trying to make money out of the genetic material found in those countries they should be paying those communities," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

In its 176 years of statehood, California has become vastly rich, leading the ranks not just among states but among nations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

The wildlife trusts believe "this rich tapestry of wildlife could be richer still" if more species return over the next 10 years.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Warsh repeatedly cited the need to observe economic readings and other pivotal developments in politics and geopolitics in the “information rich interval” before the next policy meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

His dark skin is so rich that it almost glows.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Rich Davey, CEO of Massachusetts Port Authority, said his team came up with the contest after customers said some parts of the airport didn’t feel enough like Boston.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Chorizo-chicken corn chowder: Rich, cozy and full of sweet corn, chicken and savory chorizo.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

"Rich pickings", reads the headline of the Sunday People, homing in on campaigners who argue that a wealth tax "could help so many".

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Rich seems like a bit of a stretch.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

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

Not even the recent departures of general manager David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell to richer organizations slowed them down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

Badenoch added: "We don't have any plans to take powers away. What we do have plans for are how to make people's lives richer."

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The neighbor handed over the money and we handed over the grapefruits, happier and richer than we had ever been in our little lives.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

Forbes magazine puts 85 Californians on its list of the 400 richest Americans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

After going from hawking sweets to his primary schoolmates to becoming Africa's richest man, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote now stands on the cusp of what could be the continent's biggest-ever IPO.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

He officially ended his trip in Jamnagar - in the western state of Gujarat - home to the giant oil refinery owned by one of Asia's richest men, Mukesh Ambani.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

A highly publicized study last year by Moody’s Analytics contended the richest 10% of Americans earning $250,000 a year or more accounted for a record 50% of all consumer spending.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

Most startling of all, a splendid dark cartoon of a black eye was stamped in a ring on my eye socket, in the richest inks of Tyrian, chartreuse, and plum.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

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