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well-off

well-off

33 3.4
Having enough money to live comfortably
  • adjective
  • /wɛl ɔf/
translation icon : acomodado
  • I'm a very well-off man.
  • financially well-off
  • well-off people
  • well-off families

And his parents were much, much, you know, better off than my mother was.

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Examples

  • We are all happy and well-off, and we try to be friendly and hospitable.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Despite the economic downturn, she remains well-off thanks to her successful business.

  • And his parents were much, much, you know, better off than my mother was.

  • In the end some of us could be quite well off.

  • We're not well off, but we're not doing poorly either.

  • My fiancé's well off, yes.

  • For the most part, I live among retirees and well-off divorcees.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Giulietta was respected and well-off, privately grateful for her good fortune but publicly confident.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Many families in our neighborhood are well-off and can afford to take vacations each year.

  • He is considered well-off because he owns several properties and has a stable income.

Synonyms

rich
vswell-off
1.0

Having a lot of money and valuable things

implies comfortable resources but not the extreme abundance described here
wealthy
vswell-off
520 2.5

Having a lot of money and many expensive things

denotes sufficient comfort rather than very large personal wealth
comfortable
vswell-off
107 2.9

Having enough money to live without money worries

is about steady comfort rather than luxury
prosperous
vswell-off
83 4.1

Doing well and having a lot of money

means basic comfortable living rather than active financial growth
well-to-do
vswell-off
22 4.2

People who have plenty of money and live comfortably

emphasizes moderate comfort rather than high wealth levels
well-heeled
vswell-off
11 7.2

Having a lot of money

is about simple financial comfort, not notable affluence or status
super-rich
vswell-off
1 3.4

Having far more money than most people

refers to ordinary comfortable living, not extreme wealth
well-situated
vswell-off
1 4.8

A person or family that has enough money and lives comfortably

refers to simple comfort rather than being specially advantaged
super-wealthy
vswell-off
1 4.1

Having much more money than most people

means comfortable financial standing, not this extreme abundance
well-fixed
vswell-off
6.6

Having enough money to live comfortably

is about moderate comfort rather than greater wealth
well-lined
vswell-off
7.2

Having a lot of money

means having enough comfort rather than sustained high prosperity

Antonyms

1.0

Having little money or possessions

50 6.2

People or places that have very little money and few things they need

How Wealthy

wealthy
520 2.5
well-off
33 3.4
comfortable
107 2.9
poor
1.0
destitute
20 6.5

Surface Forms

well-off positive
better-off comparative
best-off superlative

Morphology

well-off = (transparent) = well + off

The adjective is a transparent compound of 'well' + 'off' meaning 'in a good (financial) state', which learners can infer from the components. [Postprocessing: moved 'well', 'off' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Well-off comes from joining well- ('good' or 'healthy') and off ('away'), like in well-fed or well-paid. So to be well-off is to be 'away' from need — you have enough money to live comfortably.