well-off
Americanadjective
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having sufficient money for comfortable living; well-to-do.
- Synonyms:
- comfortable, affluent, wealthy, prosperous
-
in a satisfactory, favorable, or good position or condition.
If you have your health, you are well-off.
adjective
-
in a comfortable or favourable position or state
-
financially well provided for; moderately rich
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In fortunate circumstances, especially wealthy or prosperous, as in They're quite well off now. This phrase may be a shortening of come well off, that is, “emerge in good circumstances.” [First half of 1600s]
Etymology
Origin of well-off
First recorded in 1725–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shares of RH plummeted toward a six-year low Wednesday after the high-end furniture retailer’s latest earnings report and outlook suggested that even very well-off consumers have cut back spending on their homes.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
Hermès, Brunello Cucinelli and Ferrari all recently reported strong sales from the richest customers, while some companies that target the merely well-off are facing flagging demand.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
They came from quite well-off backgrounds, but then they lost everything.
From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026
Twelve kilometers from the hotel zone, crossing empty streets with minimal traffic, residents in the well-off neighborhood of Fluvial Vallarta wandered through the parking lot of a Costco wholesaler.
From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026
As well-off citizens closed their businesses and fled the city, they left behind thousands of individuals without any source of income.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.