wealthy
adjective
having great wealth; rich; affluent.
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Wealthi.
wealthy
1 American
[wel-thee]
/ ˈwɛl θi /
adjective
wealthier,
wealthiest
-
having great wealth; rich; affluent.
a wealthy person; a wealthy nation.
- Synonyms:
- moneyed, well-to-do, prosperous
- Antonyms:
- poor
-
characterized by, pertaining to, or suggestive of wealth.
a wealthy appearance.
-
rich in character, quality, or amount; abundant or ample.
a novel that is wealthy in its psychological insights.
- Synonyms:
- copious
- Antonyms:
- scanty
Wealthy
2
American
[wel-thee]
/ ˈwɛl θi /
noun
wealthy
British
/ ˈwɛlθɪ /
adjective
-
possessing wealth; affluent; rich
-
of, characterized by, or relating to wealth
-
abounding
wealthy in friends
Synonym Usage
See rich.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wealthy1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; wealth + -y 1
Origin of Wealthy2
Origin uncertain
Explanation
If you have riches you are wealthy. Don't be misled into thinking "riches" means only money — to many people, to have a healthy family and to be surrounded by love is to be abundantly wealthy. The Old English word wela, via the Middle English welth, meaning "happiness and prosperity in abundance," is the source of our noun wealth. Although the Middle English wele meant "well-being," the word referred primarily to money and possessions. Many people still feel that way, but Henry David Thoreau offered a different view: "Wealth is the ability to fully experience life." That is, true wealth is having whatever means the most to you.
Vocabulary lists containing wealthy
Beowulf vocabulary
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A Wealth Of Words: Synonyms for "Rich"
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"Culture Clash"
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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.
Abersoch is a popular destination for wealthy holidaymakers and has attracted visitors including former footballer Kyle Walker and Coleen Rooney.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
Prosecutors dug deep into Rinderknecht’s ChatGPT logs, where he argued with the chatbot while asking it to produce artwork displaying fire and railing against the wealthy.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026
This type of trust allows extremely wealthy families to preserve and grow their fortunes across generations by minimizing estate and gift taxes.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026
Statewide revenue from baccarat, a game popular with wealthy people, doubled in the past year, while slot-machine revenue rose 5.5%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
And Lord Fredrick Ashton was a wealthy and powerful man.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions 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.
