What does "rich" mean?
The rich people of a society or the world collectively, the rich class of a society.
Rich
/ɹɪt͡ʃ/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The rich people of a society or the world collectively, the rich class of a society.
- Grammar: rich is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: deep, plentiful, abounding, abounding in riches.
- Useful contrasts: bad off, badly off, impoverished.
- Usage evidence: He's rich. He doesn't need money!
How to use "rich"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rich" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rich" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rich" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rich" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rich" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "deep" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rich", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The rich people of a society or the world collectively, the rich class of a society. plural, plural-only
"Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are..."
- 2 people who have possessions and wealth (considered as a group) wordnet
- 3 the second placer in Tycoon plural, plural-only
Verb
- 1 To enrich. obsolete, transitive
"And than he shall be riched ſo, That it may faile nevermo"
- 2 To become rich. intransitive, obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.
"“A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.[…]”"
- 2 Having an intense fatty or sugary flavour.
"a rich dish; rich cream or soup; rich pastry"
- 3 Remunerative.
"All racists I grew up with have rich jobs."
- 4 Plentiful, abounding, abundant, fulfilling.
"a rich treasury; a rich entertainment; a rich crop"
- 5 Yielding large returns; productive or fertile; fruitful.
"rich soil or land; a rich mine"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 Composed of valuable or costly materials or ingredients; procured at great outlay; highly valued; precious; sumptuous; costly.
"a rich endowment; a rich dress; rich silk or fur; rich presents"
- 7 Not faint or delicate; vivid.
"a rich red colour"
- 8 Very amusing. informal
"The scene was a rich one."
- 9 Ridiculous, absurd, outrageous, preposterous, especially in a galling, hypocritical, or brazen way. informal
"That's rich, coming from you."
- 10 Pornographic; titillating. slang, uncommon
- 11 Elaborate, having complex formatting, multimedia, or depth of interaction.
"A skilled multimedia developer will have no problems adding interactive video and audio into existing rich media web pages."
- 12 Of a solute-solvent solution: not weak (not diluted); of strong concentration.
"mixed up a batch that was quite rich"
- 13 Of a solute-solvent solution: not weak (not diluted); of strong concentration.; Of a fuel-air mixture: having more fuel (thus less air) than is necessary to burn all of the fuel; less air- or oxygen- rich than necessary for a stoichiometric reaction.
- 14 Trading at a price level which is high relative to historical trends, a similar asset, or (for derivatives) a theoretical value.
"The ETF is trading rich to NAV right now; we can arb this by selling the ETF and buying the underlying constituents."
Adjective
- 1 affording an abundant supply wordnet
- 2 strong; intense wordnet
- 3 marked by great fruitfulness wordnet
- 4 pleasantly full and mellow wordnet
- 5 very productive wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 possessing material wealth wordnet
- 7 having an abundant supply of desirable qualities or substances (especially natural resources) wordnet
- 8 suggestive of or characterized by great expense wordnet
- 9 high in mineral content; having a high proportion of fuel to air wordnet
- 10 marked by richness and fullness of flavor wordnet
- 11 of great worth or quality wordnet
- 12 containing plenty of fat, or eggs, or sugar wordnet
- 13 causing indignation due to hypocrisy wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the male given name Richard.
- 2 A surname transferred from the given name.
- 3 A place in the United States:; A township in Cook County, Illinois.
- 4 A place in the United States:; A township in Anderson County, Kansas.
- 5 A place in the United States:; A township in Lapeer County, Michigan.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Coahoma County, Mississippi.
Antonyms
Example
"He's rich. He doesn't need money!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rich"?
Common synonyms include: deep, plentiful, abounding, abounding in riches, absurd, abundant.
How do you use "rich" in a sentence?
He's rich. He doesn't need money!
How do you pronounce "rich"?
Pronounced /ɹɪt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English riche (“strong, powerful, rich”), from Old English rīċe (“powerful, mighty, great, high-ranking, rich, wealthy, strong, potent”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīkī (“powerful, rich”), from Proto-Germanic *rīkijaz (“kingly, powerful, rich”), from Proto-Germanic *rīks (“king, ruler”), an early borrowing from Proto-Celtic *rīxs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs. Reinforced by Old French riche, from the same West Germanic source.
Etymology 2
From Richard. The surname also derives from rich as a nickname.