richness

British  

/ ˈrɪtʃˌnɪs /

noun

1. the state or quality of being rich

2. ecology the number of individuals of a species in a given area

---

Explanation

Richness is a quality or characteristic, either of having a lot of money or of being plentiful. The richness of exotic bird life in Hawaii may be much more appealing to you than the richness of your wealthy neighbors. When you use the noun richness to talk about an abundance of something, you're emphasizing how luxurious or bountiful it is. And if you mention the richness of a meal or a dessert, you're talking about its delicious, fatty, and filling nature: "The richness of this chocolate mousse is off the charts!" Sometimes richness also means "intensity," as in the richness of the deep blue sky.

Example Sentences

The statute that created the agency was clear about what Congress was funding: work of “substantial scholarly and cultural significance” that reflects “the diversity and richness of our American cultural heritage.”

From Slate • May 14, 2026

Instead, I finished things with a scatter of green onions, whose sharpness cut beautifully through the richness.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

Ecologists measure biodiversity using two main concepts: richness, which describes how many different species are present, and evenness, which measures how uniformly they are distributed.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

Margaret Bendelow, an English Catholic convert studying theology in the Eternal City in 1958, is equally enraptured—by the richness of the food, the glory of the art and the splendor of ancient Scripture.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Its fulness contrasted so sharply with his hunger, its richness with his emptiness, that he recoiled from it while answering it.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• abundance