rich
- 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.
- (used with a plural verb) rich persons collectively (usually preceded by the): new tax shelters for the rich.
Origin of rich
Synonyms for rich
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms for rich
Examples from the Web for richness
Contemporary Examples of richness
What adds a richness to the stories is the way you take relationships themselves as an overriding theme.
Indeed, red — because of its vibrancy and richness — has served as a powerful symbol since the beginning of civilization.
What a love, joy, adventure and richness you and your brother brought to our home.
But I think his backstory is just part of the richness of the character.
Meet the Red Viper: Pedro Pascal on Game of Thrones’ Kinky, Bisexual HellraiserMarlow Stern
March 26, 2014
For me, it's the vulnerability, openness, and richness of his voice that does it.
Beyoncé Rocks Tom Ford; Fast Retailing Backs Out of J. Crew DealThe Fashion Beast Team
March 19, 2014
Historical Examples of richness
His language has the richness and sententious fullness of the Chinese.
The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
There is no cheese superior to them in richness and mildness.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
The woods were in all the depth and richness of a Southern spring.
The Rock of ChickamaugaJoseph A. Altsheler
"Pennyr'yal," she said happily, and felt the richness of being.
Meadow GrassAlice Brown
Its tone was velvety in its richness, nor was there the least inflection of astonishment in its tone.
The Law-BreakersRidgwell Cullum
richness
- the state or quality of being rich
- ecology the number of individuals of a species in a given area
Rich
- 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
rich
- 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
- See riches
Word Origin for rich
Word Origin and History for richness
rich
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 richness
rich
In addition to the idiom beginning with rich
- rich as Croesus
also see:
- embarrassment of riches
- from rags to riches
- strike it rich