wealth

noun

ˈwelth How to pronounce wealth (audio)
 also  ˈweltth
1
: abundance of valuable material possessions or resources
2
: abundant supply : profusion
3
a
: all property that has a money value or an exchangeable value
b
: all material objects that have economic utility
especially : the stock of useful goods having economic value in existence at any one time
national wealth
4
obsolete : weal, welfare

Examples of wealth in a Sentence

a nation that has acquired great wealth someone whose sole goal is the accumulation of wealth Her personal wealth is estimated to be around $10 billion. What percentage of the national wealth is spent on health care? I was impressed by the wealth of choices. Libraries offer a wealth of information.
Recent Examples on the Web Paramount—and the obscene wealth of Hollywood in general—was a frequent punch line for him, invoking, perhaps, the initial purpose of the Academy Awards themselves when they were started, in the late 1920s. Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2024 That’s obviously one way people pass down generational wealth, and Black people don’t have a lot of ways to do that. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 The wealth of information stems from the voyage’s timing. Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2024 Slater speaks of this life stage with gratitude for the opportunities it's provided—like access to a wealth of influential people in the fashion industry and travel experiences in new destinations—but always from a place of removal. Mercedes Bleth, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Mar. 2024 One other thing worsened: the wealth gap between young and old Americans. Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 Democratic tech entrepreneur and veteran Peter Dixon amassed nearly $2.8 million largely from his own wealth, followed by Sam Liccardo with $2.2 million, Evan Low with $1.4 million and Joe Simitian with $1 million. John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 Since then, rebel groups created by Rwanda have backed major insurgencies, occupied large parts of Congo, and exploited its mineral wealth. Amel Mukhtar, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 The judge in the civil fraud case ruled last month that Trump, Weisselberg and others schemed to deceive banks, insurers and others by lying about Trump’s wealth on financial statements used to make deals and secure loans. Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wealth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English welthe, from wele weal

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Time Traveler
The first known use of wealth was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near wealth

Cite this Entry

“Wealth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wealth. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wealth

noun
1
: a great amount of money or possessions : affluence
2
: a large amount or number : profusion
a wealth of detail

More from Merriam-Webster on wealth

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