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Glite Dictionary
poor little rich boy

poor little rich boy

1 7.7
A young man who has a lot of money but feels lonely or unhappy
  • noun
translation icon : pobre niño rico
  • The poor little rich boy often feels isolated despite his family's wealth.

Examples

  • I can't feel sorry for myself because I'm a poor little rich boy.

    Cruel Intentions (1999)

  • Poor little rich boy.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Like Richie Rich, Mitt Romney is the poor little rich boy, unfairly maligned merely because he's better than you are.

    Blog text (12)

  • Despite having everything he could want, the poor little rich boy struggles with loneliness.

  • People tend to overlook the emotional challenges of the poor little rich boy because of his wealth.

Synonyms

poor little rich girl
vspoor little rich boy
1 7.7

A young woman who seems unhappy or lonely even though she has a lot of money

is the male counterpart seen as emotionally lonely despite material wealth

Antonyms

well-adjusted
20 4.4

Emotionally healthy and able to handle daily life problems

Surface Forms

poor little rich boy singular
poor little rich boys plural

Morphology

poor + little + rich + boy

Although the literal words ('poor', 'little', 'rich', 'boy') give clear cues that this refers to a wealthy young man who is nevertheless pitied, the expression depends on an ironic/diminutive use of 'poor' and 'little' to signal sympathy rather than material lack. That pragmatic, culturally-mediated nuance (emotional problems or loneliness despite wealth) may not be fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Poor little rich boy shows the difference between poor and rich: imagine a young man in a big house with many things but feeling small and lonely. That's why it means a wealthy young man who is 'emotionally poor' or 'lonely' despite his money.