rich
(r
ch)
KEY
ADJECTIVE:
rich·er
,
rich·est
- Possessing great material wealth:
"Now that he was rich he was not thought ignorant any more, but simply eccentric"
(Mavis Gallant).
- Having great worth or value:
a rich harvest of grain.
- Magnificent; sumptuous:
a rich brocade.
-
- Having an abundant supply:
rich in ideas.
- Abounding, especially in natural resources:
rich land.
- Meaningful and significant:
"a rich sense of the transaction between writer and reader"
(William Zinsser).
- Very productive and therefore financially profitable:
rich seams of coal.
-
- Containing a large amount of choice ingredients, such as butter, sugar, or eggs, and therefore unusually heavy or sweet:
a rich dessert.
- Having or exuding a strong or pungent aroma:
"Texas air is so rich you can nourish off it like it was food"
(Edna Ferber).
-
- Pleasantly full and mellow:
a rich tenor voice.
- Warm and strong in color:
a rich brown velvet.
- Containing a large proportion of fuel to air:
a rich gas mixture.
-
Informal
Highly amusing.
NOUN:
(used with a pl. verb)
- Wealthy people considered as a group. Often used with the:
"Were there, indeed, a sure appeal to the mercies of the rich, the calamities of the poor might be less intolerable"
(Charlotte Smith).
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English
riche, from Old French (
of Germanic origin), and from Old English
r
ce,
strong, powerful; see
reg- in Indo-European roots
OTHER FORMS:
rich
ly
(Adverb),
richness
(Noun)
SYNONYMS:
rich
, affluent
, flush
1
, loaded
, moneyed
, wealthy
These adjectives mean having an abundant supply of money, property, or possessions of value:
a rich executive; an affluent banker; a speculator flush with cash; not merely rich but loaded; moneyed heirs; wealthy corporations.
Antonym:
poor
