Word family noun riches richness enrichment the rich adjective rich enriched verb enrich adverb richly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrichrich /rɪtʃ/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective (comparative richer, superlative richest) 1 wealthy a) RICHsomeone who is rich has a lot of money and valuable possessions OPP poor one of the richest women in America She found herself a rich husband. He thought this was the easiest way to get rich. the rich nations of the worldfabulously rich British English She was both beautiful and fabulously rich. His brother’s stinking rich (=very rich, in a way that you do not approve of). b) the richRICH [plural] people who are rich houses belonging to the rich and famousRegisterIn written English, people sometimes prefer to use affluent rather than rich, because it sounds more formal:In affluent societies the definition of poverty is relative.2 large amountLOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNT containing a lot of somethingrich in Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C.oxygen-rich/nutrient-rich/protein-rich etc Pregnant women should eat protein-rich foods. Rich mineral deposits have been found in the sea bed. Red meat is a rich source of iron.3 full of interestINTERESTING full of interesting or important facts, events, or ideas the rich literary tradition of England The area has a very rich history.rich in a story that was rich in detail4 foodSTRONG TASTE OR SMELL rich food contains a lot of butter, cream, or eggs, which make you feel full very quickly OPP light a rich fruit cake The sauce was very rich.5 smell/flavourCO a rich smell or flavour is strong and pleasant the rich scent of the pine trees meat with a wonderfully rich flavour a rich, fruity wine 6 colourCC a rich colour is strong and attractive a rich dark brown colour► see thesaurus at colour7 soundCLOW SOUND OR VOICE a rich sound is low and pleasant the rich tone of a cello He laughed with a rich, throaty chuckle.8 soilTAS rich soil is good for growing plants in OPP poor Vegetables grow well in the rich, black soil.9 clothEXPENSIVE rich cloth is expensive and beautiful She stroked the rich velvet of the dress enviously.10 → that’s rich (coming from him/you etc)COLLOCATIONSadverbsvery richHe is a very rich man.extremely richHe came from an extremely rich Viennese family.immensely rich (=extremely rich)He was immensely rich and owned two yachts.fabulously rich (=extremely rich)She must have been fabulously rich to live in a house like this.seriously rich (=very rich)They stand to become seriously rich if the venture succeeds.stinking/filthy rich disapproving (=very rich)She was obviously stinking rich.verbsget richThey just wanted to get rich.get rich quick schemesbecome richOver the years, he became enormously rich.grow rich (=become rich)They have grown rich by selling this technology to other companies. make somebody richThe trade in tea made the British rich.phrasesthe new rich disapproving (=people who have recently become rich and spend a lot of money)For Russia's new rich, life is a candy store. THESAURUSrich having a lot of money – used about people and placesShe married a rich Greek shipowner.one of the world’s richest nationswealthy rich – used about people and places, especially when they have been rich for a long timewealthy landownersOrange County is a very wealthy area.a wealthy Arab businessmanaffluent formal rich – used about societies, groups of people, or areas where people live, where people have nice houses and a lot of expensive possessionstoday’s affluent societyaffluent young professionalsan affluent suburb of Bostonprosperous formal rich – used about places and groups of people, especially when their money is related to success in businessSales have grown fastest in the more prosperous areas of the south.prosperous merchants and bankerswell-off fairly rich compared to other people, so that you can live very comfortablyHer parents are pretty well-off.children from well-off familieswell-to-do written rich – used especially in the past about families and people who had a fairly high position in societyOnly well-to-do families could afford to send their children to university.The Westons were now well-to-do and there was no necessity for work.privileged having special advantages because your family have a lot of money and a high position in societyHe comes from a privileged background.The sport was only played by a privileged few.comfortably off [not before noun] having enough money to have a nice life without having to worry about moneyI wouldn’t say that we were rich – just comfortably off.be rolling in it/be loaded informal to be extremely richThey’ve got two houses and a boat – they must be rolling in it.Her books were so successful that she’s loaded now.COLLOCATIONS CHECKwealthy person/family/areaaffluent society/area/family/lifestyleprosperous area/economy/middle classwell-to-do familyprivileged person/background/few/elite Examples from the Corpus
rich• It is not the very poor and it is not the very rich.• Her new boyfriend is very good-looking and very rich.• Esmeralda was the rich and beautiful daughter of Count Calafato.• Why go further, especially if it will benefit only the rich at the expense of everyone else?• He sang in a deep, rich baritone.• The horse had a rich chestnut coat.• a rich chocolate cake• I admired the warm, rich colors of her Persian rugs.• Envy of the rich could no longer masquerade as love of the poor.• The richer empirical studies, however, have indicated that there are different dimensions of political participation.• Rich golds and elegant silvers are the colors for this season.• Palaces and rich houses all over town are echoing emptily now.• Spinach is rich in iron and very good for you.• The land in this area is rich in minerals and ideal for growing crops.• Prudence was rich, it began.• Her ambition was to marry a rich man.• Gates is one of the world's richest men.• Every year "Fortune" magazine publishes a list of the 100 richest people in America.• The meat was browned to perfection and topped with a rich sauce.• The hot sun drew a rich scent from the honeysuckle vines.• And the sporty model, with its bigger tires, felt better in highway twists and turns than its richer sibling.• She had a wonderful deep, rich singing voice.• Carnations require sun, rich soil, and even watering.• Potato plants are easy to grow and do not require rich soil.• His guitar produces a warm, rich sound.• The lead actor's rich voice claimed the attention of the audience.• He spoke in a strong, rich voice.rich source• Tea is a rich source of antioxidants and may form part of a healthy diet.• Frequently overlooked is the rich source of data already available in office files.• Potatoes are a rich source of fat-free complex carbohydrates.• It is thought that biology is the richest source of ideas for scientific as well as poetic creativity.• For example, the U. S. Census data, a rich source of information about families, is not online.• Dreams, of course, are a rich source of inspiration and guidance, as well as excellent training in thinking in metaphor.• In this way, a potentially rich source of knowledge - communication of ideas among students - tends to be stifled.• Leaves are a rich source of vitamin C and the vitamin is particularly concentrated within chloroplasts, the organelles of photosynthesis.Origin rich Old English rice 