wealthy
adjective
having great wealth; rich; affluent.
wealthy
1 American
[wel-thee]
/ ˈwɛl θi /
adjective
-
wealthier,
comparative
-
wealthiest
superlative
-
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
Derived Forms
-
wealthinessnoun
-
overwealthyadjective
-
quasi-wealthyadjective
-
subwealthyadjective
-
superwealthyadjective
-
unwealthyadjective
-
wealthilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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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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.
See Examples For:
A new element in some recent stories is the assertion that the wealthy are so financially straitened they’re cutting back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The net worth of wealthy families increased in the same period.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
The move followed warnings that it could end up costing the government money if wealthy people leave the country or defer selling off assets, the Times newspaper reported.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
The suits target business-development companies—funds that raise money from wealthy individuals to lend to private companies—managed by affiliates of private-fund giants KKR, Blue Owl Capital and Ares Management, among other fund managers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
It was predicated on a searing critique of large corporations, particularly railroads, and the wealthy elite in the North and South.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Wealthy Americans have for years used a popular type of trust to transfer fortunes to their children without paying hefty gift and estate taxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Wealthy South Koreans are another group of coveted tourists for Mallorcan businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Wealthy tourists would have felt like visitors from another solar system.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Wealthy buyers are also competing to snap up high-end watches, pushing their prices up.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 13, 2026
Wealthy farmers and their families carried buckets of slopping milk and rounds of cheese.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
At a protest in central Paris last week, she told AFP there was a stark divide in resources between the 1,300 Eugene Henaff pupils and those in wealthier areas.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
He then put the Dodgers up for sale, because he believed a family business would lack the resources of wealthier corporate ownerships, and the team might not remain competitive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
"They sell these individuals to military units and regional commands facing manpower shortages, or traffic substitute recruits on behalf of wealthier individuals seeking to buy their way out of service."
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
His latest is a long, solemn drama about a working-class family that becomes the subject of a wealthier woman’s documentary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Not of the crowded corrals, but of the pretty West Side neighborhoods where wealthier Mexican families lived, their houses painted in yellows and oranges and pinks.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
New campaign finance filings revealed that much of the advertising flurry was funded by one highly motivated donor: Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
In 2015, the couple purchased their home in the Silicon Valley city of Atherton, one of the wealthiest ZIP Codes in the U.S., for $12.5 million, property records show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Despite these fluctuations, Musk has solidly established himself as the wealthiest person in the world, both now and compared to previous eras.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
At the lavish home of one of Miami's top plastic surgeons, overlooking the Biscayne Bay, some of the wealthiest Cuban-American families in Florida have gathered.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
So at the age of twelve she was sent to work with her uncle’s wife, who cleaned the homes of Krakow’s wealthiest families.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
