rich

RICH/ɹɪt͡ʃ/

16 meanings of rich

Practice

1
affluentadjective
Having a great deal of money and valuable possessions.
The merchant grew rich trading silk along the coast.
Only the richest investors could afford a stake in the venture.
UsageUsually richer, richest, as in the richest person in the world; people get rich or grow rich.
Similarwealthy, moneyed, loaded, well-off, well-to-do
Oppositepoor
2
packed withadjective
Containing or supplying a great deal of something valuable or desirable; abundant, or full and fulfilling.
The region offers a rich variety of wildlife for researchers to study.
He led a rich and meaningful life devoted to teaching.
UsageUsually rich in what abounds, rich in fiber; rich with also occurs, as in rich with memories.
Similarabundant, plentiful, full, fulfilling
Oppositescarce, low
Note
Abundance often arrives with a preposition: rich in fiber, rich in traditions, or a minute "rich in some great action," as Nicholas Rowe put it in The Royal Convert (1707).
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
Nicholas Rowe wrote The Royal Convert. en.wikipedia.org
The play can be dated 1707, its first production year. en.wikisource.org
The quoted wording occurs in the play; Rowe is credited here as its author. en.wiktionary.org
3
heavy (food)adjective
Having an intense flavor from a high fat or sugar content.
The pastry chef prepared a rich custard layered with dark chocolate.
Diners praised the rich, buttery sauce ladled over the lamb.
UsageCan be praise or a warning: a rich dessert, too rich to finish.
Similarheavy, creamy, decadent, indulgent
Oppositelight
4
nounplural
The wealthy members of a society, considered collectively as a class.
Throughout history, the rich have wielded outsized political power.
The new policy widened the gap between the rich and the poor.
UsageTakes the and are: the rich are (not ~~incorrect: the rich is~~); one person is a rich person.
Similarwealthy, affluent
Oppositepoor
Note
The adjective inside it can still be modified, as in the very rich. F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Rich Boy" (1926) offers its famous "Let me tell you about the very rich," and Ernest Hemingway took aim at it in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" (1936).
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote "The Rich Boy", first published in 1926. en.wikipedia.org
The story contains the quoted words, spoken by its narrator. gutenberg.net.au
Ernest Hemingway wrote "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", first published in 1936. en.wikipedia.org
Hemingway's story mocks Fitzgerald's treatment of the rich. en.wiktionary.org
5
adjective
Strong, deep, and vivid rather than faint or delicate.
The singer's rich baritone filled the concert hall.
By October the hillside had turned rich shades of gold and red.
Similardeep, vivid, full, resonant, intense
Oppositefaint, thin, pale
6
luxuriousadjective
Made of valuable, costly materials; sumptuous and precious.
The cathedral's rich furnishings reflected centuries of donations.
For the coronation, the queen wore a rich robe of velvet trimmed with gold thread and pearls.
Similarsumptuous, lavish, opulent, luxurious, costly
Oppositeplain
7
adjective
Producing large yields; fertile and highly productive.
The delta's rich farmland has fed the city for centuries.
Prospectors raced to stake the richest mining claims along the river.
Similarfertile, productive, fruitful, lush
Oppositebarren, infertile, poor
8
many features (tech)adjective
Having complex formatting, multimedia content, or depth of interaction.
The platform delivers a rich interface with embedded video and clickable menus.
Modern email clients render rich messages containing images, fonts, and links.
UsageSits before the noun in fixed pairs, rich text, rich media; the opposite is plain.
Oppositeplain, unformatted
Note
A computing word that marks the step up from plain text: rich text email, rich media web pages, a rich experience on a web platform. Rich text means formatting such as fonts and layout, while rich media adds video and audio.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Rich text supports formatting, including fonts and layout. support.microsoft.com
Rich media can include video and audio. newsinitiative.withgoogle.com

Less common meanings

9
ridiculousadjectivecolloquial
Absurd or hypocritical to the point of being galling, especially when voiced by someone equally at fault.
That's rich, hearing a lecture on honesty from a known cheat.
His demand for punctuality is rich given his own constant tardiness.
UsageUsually That's rich, coming from you or a bit rich: it's a bit rich to complain.
Similarironic, galling, laughable
Note
Irony does the work here: calling a remark rich usually means it is outrageous given who is making it. The word can also brand a notion as simply absurd, as when William Brown of Montreal called one "rather a rich idea" in 1858.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The writer is identified as William Brown of Montreal, and the cited work was published in 1858. books.google.com
Brown used the exact phrase “rather a rich idea” about selling the use of flour instead of the flour itself. en.wiktionary.org
10
very funnyadjectivecolloquial
Highly amusing or entertaining.
His story about the goat that ate the wedding cake was rich, and the whole table roared.
Her impression of the pompous headmaster was a rich bit of comedy that left the whole staff room in stitches.
Similaramusing, funny, entertaining, hilarious
Oppositedull
11
profitableadjective
Producing a good income or substantial profit; financially rewarding.
The franchise proved a rich venture, returning steady profits year after year.
Investors chased the rich returns promised by the booming market.
Similarlucrative, profitable, remunerative
Oppositeunprofitable
12
strong (solution)adjective
Of a solution or mixture, containing a high proportion of a particular substance, as a fuel-air mix with extra fuel.
On cold mornings the old truck needs a rich mixture, heavy on fuel, before it will start.
Pilots lean the mixture as they climb, since a mixture that stays too rich wastes fuel.
Oppositelean
13
verbobsoleteintransitive
To become rich; to grow wealthy.
Note
Here the subject itself grows wealthy, with no object: this is the intransitive partner of the obsolete "enrich" verb. It shares the same spellings (riches, riching, riched), so the construction and context tell the two apart. In modern text, riches is almost always the plural noun meaning wealth. Like its partner it has dropped out of use, and modern English says the same thing with grow rich or get richer.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Rich has obsolete intransitive and transitive verb senses meaning, respectively, to become rich and to enrich. en.wiktionary.org
Both verb senses share the inflected forms riches, riching and riched. en.wiktionary.org
14
make wealthyverbobsoletetransitive
To make rich; to enrich.
With shadowy forests and with champains rich'd
c. 1603, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”
And than he shall be riched ſo, That it may faile nevermo
c. 1386, John Gower, Confessio Amantis of John Gower: Edited and Collated with the Best Manuscripts
Note
An old verb for making things rich, as in Shakespeare's King Lear, with its "champains rich'd." Its forms were regular (riches, riching, riched), and John Gower uses the passive be riched in Confessio Amantis. Today enrich does this work, so using rich as a transitive verb now reads as deliberate archaism.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
Rich was a transitive verb meaning to enrich. en.wiktionary.org
Shakespeare's King Lear contains “champains rich'd”; Lear speaks the words in Act I, Scene I. gutenberg.org
The verb has the regular forms riches, riching, and riched. en.wiktionary.org
John Gower uses the passive be riched in Confessio Amantis. gutenberg.org
15
adjective
Trading at a price that is high compared with past levels, a similar asset, or a theoretical value.
16
adjectiveslang
Sexually explicit or titillating; pornographic.

More uses

richesgreat wealth

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of rich apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Old English rīċe ("powerful, mighty, wealthy") became Middle English riche ("strong, powerful, rich"). Behind it lie Proto-Germanic roots meaning "kingly, powerful, rich" and, further back, "king, ruler." That root was an early borrowing from Proto-Celtic, which in turn goes back to Proto-Indo-European. Old French riche, which came from the same Germanic source, reinforced the word.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 7 facts

Old English rīċe meant powerful, mighty and wealthy and developed into Middle English riche, meaning strong, powerful and rich. en.wiktionary.org
The word descends from Proto-Germanic *rīkijaz, meaning kingly, powerful and rich. en.wiktionary.org
The earlier Proto-Germanic source was *rīks, meaning king or ruler. en.wiktionary.org
Proto-Germanic *rīks was an early borrowing from Proto-Celtic. en.wiktionary.org
The Proto-Celtic source derives from Proto-Indo-European. en.wiktionary.org
Old French riche came from the same Germanic source. en.wiktionary.org
Old French riche reinforced the English word. en.wiktionary.org