Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

wealthy

 adjective
     
wealth‧y comparative wealthier, superlative wealthiest
1 having a lot of money, possessions etc [= rich]
very/extremely/immensely/fabulously etc wealthy
He left as a poor, working class boy and returned as a wealthy man.
the wealthy nations of the world
 ➔ see usage note rich
2

the wealthy

[plural] people who have a lot of money, possessions etc
WORD CHOICE: WORD CHOICE:

rich, well-off, wealthy, affluent, prosperousRich is a very direct way of saying that someone has a lot of money and possessions • one of the richest women in America Well-off means fairly rich, so you can buy most things. People are more likely to describe themselves as 'well-off' than 'rich' • My parents were pretty well-off.Wealthy is a slightly more formal word meaning rich, especially over a long period of time • He came from a wealthy family.Affluent and prosperous are fairly formal words, often used to describe societies where the economy is successful and the standard of living is good.Affluent means rich enough to have things like expensive cars and holidays • People are becoming increasingly affluent.Prosperous means rich and successful • the more prosperous regions of the country ➔ See also rich
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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