wealthy

From Middle English welthy, welþi, equivalent to wealth +‎ -y. Cognate with Middle Dutch weldech, weeldech (“magnificent, luscious, lavish”).

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈwɛlθ.i/
• Rhymes: -ɛlθi

wealthy (comparative wealthier or more wealthy, superlative wealthiest or most wealthy)

1. Possessing financial wealth; rich.
2. Abundant in quality or quantity; profuse.

• affluent, prosperous
• See also Thesaurus:wealthy

• See also Thesaurus:impoverished

• independently wealthy

• upscale

wealthy pl (plural only)

1. (with "the") Rich people.
   • 2013 May 17, George Monbiot, “Money just makes the rich suffer”, in The Guardian Weekly‎, volume 188, number 23, page 19:

     In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […]  The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra–wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised.

wealthy (plural wealthies)

1. A rich person.
   • 1975 December 6, “A Real Presidential Choice Is Being Ignored”, in Evening Independent:

     it was possible for a group like the Libertarians to hope that a couple of weakminded wealthies might donate the seed money to get a campaign rolling.

   • 1977 April 4, “Public TV Presents miracle Series”, in Argus-Press:

     Bernice is a nice, sardonic tale of envy and young wealthies of the pre-flapper era, when a girl who bobbed her hair was thought loose by the flask-bearing blades who tried to get her tight.

   • 2006 November 16, “Can the Democrats Deliver?”, in Washington Post:

     Ending tax cuts to wealthies would only increase tax revenues by $40 - $60 billion a year - about 20% of current deficit - so it's a waste of time.

• wealth
• wealthily
• wealthiness

• Whatley