rich

[ rich ]

/ rɪtʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rich ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, rich·er, rich·est.

having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy: a rich man; a rich nation.

abounding in natural resources: a rich territory.

having wealth or valuable resources (usually followed by in): a country rich in traditions.

abounding (usually followed by in or with): a countryside rich in beauty; a design rich with colors.

of great value or worth; valuable: a rich harvest.

(of food) delectably and perhaps unhealthfully spicy, or sweet and abounding in butter or cream: a rich gravy; a rich pastry.

costly, expensively elegant, or fine, as dress or jewels.

sumptuous; elaborately abundant: a rich feast.

using valuable materials or characterized by elaborate workmanship, as buildings or furniture.

abounding in desirable elements or qualities: a man rich in kindness.

(of wine) strong and finely flavored.

(of color) deep, strong, or vivid: rich purple.

full and mellow in tone: rich sounds; a rich voice.

strongly fragrant; pungent: a rich odor.

producing or yielding abundantly: a rich soil.

abundant, plentiful, or ample: a rich supply.

Automotive. (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively high ratio of fuel to air (contrasted with lean²def 5).

Informal.

highly amusing.
ridiculous; absurd.

noun

(used with a plural verb) rich persons collectively (usually preceded by the): new tax shelters for the rich.

Nearby words

Origin of rich

before 900; Middle English; Old English rīce (adj.) ≪ Celtic; cognate with German reich wealthy; akin to Latin rēx, Sanskrit rājan king

SYNONYMS FOR rich

1 well-to-do, moneyed. 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.

5 bountiful, copious, luxuriant.

7 precious, high-priced, dear.

12 intense, vibrant.

14 aromatic.

15 fruitful, productive, prolific, luxuriant.

16 bountiful, copious, abounding, bounteous.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rich ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR rich

1–5, 15, 16 poor.

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Related forms

rich·ly, adverbrich·ness, nouno·ver·rich, adjectiveo·ver·rich·ly, adverb

o·ver·rich·ness, nounsu·per·rich, adjective, nounul·tra·rich, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for richly

For the aficionado or the neophyte, Comics is a useful overview of a richly creative period in a burgeoning art.
The Best Coffee Table Books of 2014|Robert Birnbaum|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Readers who can get past the odd structure will be richly rewarded.
The Best Fiction of 2014: Ford, Ferrante, Klay, and More|William O’Connor|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bob Hope was the most beloved, honored, and richly rewarded comedian of all time.
When Your Comic Hero Is an Alleged Rapist|Doug McIntyre|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And anyway, if Brecht did not want us to feel for Mother Courage, why did he make her so richly shaded and humanly fallible?
Brecht's Mercenary Mother Courage Turns 75|Katie Baker|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

With the election of Thomas Jefferson two years later, this law was allowed to die the death it so richly deserved.
Snowden Deserves the Medal of Freedom, Not Prosecution|Jay Parini|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was staring down a brilliantly lighted, richly carpeted corridor.
The Adventures of Jimmie Dale|Frank L. Packard
Nora was pretty, but Nora was not richly endowed with pretty frocks.
Red Rose and Tiger Lily|L. T. Meade
She was a handsome woman of middle age and was richly dressed.
Gordon Keith|Thomas Nelson Page
A large apartment of the old stone house had been richly decorated with moss and branches in honor of the occasion.
Benjamin Franklin, A Picture of the Struggles of Our Infant Nation One Hundred Years Ago|John S. C. Abbott
A very simple procedure will suffice to produce handsome, richly coloured flowers.
The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots, 16th Edition|Sutton and Sons

British Dictionary definitions for richly (1 of 3)

richly

/ (ˈrɪtʃlɪ) /

adverb

in a rich or elaborate mannera richly decorated carving

fully and appropriatelyhe was richly rewarded for his service

British Dictionary definitions for richly (2 of 3)

Rich

/ (rɪtʃ) /

noun

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)

Buddy, real name Bernard Rich . 1917–87, US jazz drummer and band leader

British Dictionary definitions for richly (3 of 3)

rich

/ (rɪtʃ) /

adjective

well supplied with wealth, property, etc; owning much
(as collective noun; preceded by the)the rich

(when postpositive , usually foll by in) having an abundance of natural resources, minerals, etca land rich in metals

producing abundantly; fertilerich soil

(when postpositive , usually foll by in or with) well supplied (with desirable qualities); abundant (in)a country rich with cultural interest

of great worth or quality; valuablea rich collection of antiques

luxuriant or prolifica rich growth of weeds

expensively elegant, elaborate, or fine; costlya rich display

(of food) having a large proportion of flavoursome or fatty ingredients, such as spices, butter, or cream

having a full-bodied flavoura rich ruby port

(of a smell) pungent or fragrant

(of colour) intense or vivid; deepa rich red

(of sound or a voice) full, mellow, or resonant

(of a fuel-air mixture) containing a relatively high proportion of fuelCompare weak (def. 12)

very amusing, laughable, or ridiculousa rich joke; a rich situation

noun

See riches

Word Origin for rich

Old English rīce (originally of persons: great, mighty), of Germanic origin, ultimately from Celtic (compare Old Irish rī king)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for richly (1 of 2)

richly

adv.

Old English ricelice "powerfully, sumptuously;" see rich (adj.) + -ly (2).

Word Origin and History for richly (1 of 2)

rich

adj.

Old English rice "strong, powerful; great, mighty; of high rank," in later Old English "wealthy," from Proto-Germanic *rikijaz (cf. Old Norse rikr, Swedish rik, Danish rig, Old Frisian rike "wealthy, mighty," Dutch rijk, Old High German rihhi "ruler, powerful, rich," German reich "rich," Gothic reiks "ruler, powerful, rich"), borrowed from a Celtic source akin to Gaulish *rix, Old Irish ri (genitive rig) "king," from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," hence, "direct, rule" (see rex).

The form of the word was influenced in Middle English by Old French riche "wealthy, magnificent, sumptuous," which is, with Spanish rico, Italian ricco, from Frankish *riki "powerful," or some other cognate Germanic source.

Old English also had a noun, rice "rule, reign, power, might; authority; empire." The evolution of the word reflects a connection between wealth and power in the ancient world. Of food and colors, from early 14c.; of sounds, from 1590s. Sense of "entertaining, amusing" is recorded from 1760. The noun meaning "the wealthy" was in Old English.

Idioms and Phrases with richly

rich

In addition to the idiom beginning with rich

rich as Croesus

also see:

embarrassment of riches
from rags to riches
strike it rich

rich

adjective, rich·er, rich·est.

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of rich

Examples from the Web for richly

British Dictionary definitions for richly (1 of 3)

richly

adverb

British Dictionary definitions for richly (2 of 3)

Rich

noun

British Dictionary definitions for richly (3 of 3)

rich

adjective

noun

Word Origin for rich

Word Origin and History for richly (1 of 2)

richly

Word Origin and History for richly (1 of 2)

rich

Idioms and Phrases with richly

rich