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• better-off
  better-off

  adjective

  being in better circumstances, especially economically.
• better off
  better off

  In a more favorable position or financial circumstances. For example, They were better off flying than driving there, or They were better off than most of their neighbors. This phrase is the comparative form of well off. [Mid-1800s]

better-off

American  

[bet-er-awf, -of] / ˈbɛt ərˈɔf, -ˈɒf /

adjective

1. being in better circumstances, especially economically.

   Only the better-off nations can afford to send probes into space.

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better off Idioms  

1. In a more favorable position or financial circumstances. For example, They were better off flying than driving there, or They were better off than most of their neighbors. This phrase is the comparative form of well off. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of better-off

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

better-off better off

Green MSP Ariane Burgess warned evidence from previous help-to-buy schemes suggested that they made properties "less not more affordable", and that they benefited better-off buyers.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

Yes, good public schools exist, but they tend to be in communities where only the better-off can afford to live.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Bankers interpret this as a sign that slightly better-off consumers are absorbing the higher prices, while lower-income customers are increasingly cutting back or seeking cheaper alternatives.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 8, 2026

It’s not to drag the relatively better-off down to the bottom, but to allow more people to pull themselves up.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2025

Now I understand that these people I admired weren’t exactly rich, simply better-off than the people of my village, one of the poorest in Ecuador.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

Some people who can afford to invest their Social Security benefits wonder whether they’d be better off claiming early and investing their checks in the stock market.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

“It’s a brutal business — you are better off putting your money into treasury bills, historically, so it’s hard for studios.”

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

You may argue about whether Gen Z is “less risky” as a result of this digital takeover, but we certainly aren’t better off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

The tax relief would mean an average family is about 600 euros better off per year, the parties said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Because we take it, as a given, that the more information decision makers have, the better off they are.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell