wealth
Americannoun
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a great quantity or store of money, valuable possessions, property, or other riches.
the wealth of a city.
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an abundance or profusion of anything; plentiful amount.
a wealth of imagery.
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Economics.
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all things that have a monetary or exchange value.
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anything that has utility and is capable of being appropriated or exchanged.
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rich or valuable contents or produce.
the wealth of the soil.
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the state of being rich; prosperity; affluence.
persons of wealth and standing.
- Antonyms:
- poverty
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Obsolete. happiness.
noun
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a large amount of money and valuable material possessions
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the state of being rich
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a great profusion
a wealth of gifts
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economics all goods and services with monetary, exchangeable, or productive value
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wealth
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English welth; equivalent to well 1 + -th 1; modeled on health
Explanation
The word wealth has many shades of meaning, but most involve having a lot of something — often money or something else that's valuable. You might have a wealth of experience, or you might have great personal wealth. First used in the mid-13th century, the noun wealth can mean having a lot of material goods or money. A person with this kind of wealth may have a chateau in Italy with a vineyard and a personal yacht. Wealth can also mean a big supply of something. The birth of a newborn baby will surely bring a wealth of happiness and joy to a family.
Vocabulary lists containing wealth
Tax Day Words
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"A Suitcase of Seaweed" and "Immigrants Today"
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"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A prolonged war in Iran is the market’s “black swan,” according to Alicia Levine, head of investment strategy at BNY’s wealth management business.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Kousser described the original 2012 tax increase as a game-changer that allowed the state to redistribute wealth from rich to poor regions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
The case will hear allegations made by Nebahat Isbilen, an elderly Turkish woman, who says her former adviser Selman Turk misled her and used her wealth to his own advantage.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
But this year, there has been more widespread awareness that the wealth we are witnessing is just not the kind of wealth most regular people even have the option to attain.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
Although Laucks, with his great wealth, could have covered everyone’s expenses, he’d frugally pick and choose where, when, and how he wanted to spend his money.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
