people who have possessions and wealth (considered as a group)
<noun.group> only the very rich benefit from this legislation [ adj ]
possessing material wealth
<adj.all> her father is extremely rich many fond hopes are pinned on rich uncles
having an abundant supply of desirable qualities or substances (especially natural resources)
<adj.all> blessed with a land rich in minerals rich in ideas rich with cultural interest
high in mineral content; having a high proportion of fuel to air
<adj.all> a rich vein of copper a rich gas mixture
suggestive of or characterized by great expense
<adj.all> a rich display
of great worth or quality
<adj.all> a rich collection of antiques
marked by great fruitfulness
<adj.all> fertile farmland a fat land a productive vineyard rich soil
strong; intense
<adj.all> deep purple a rich red
very productive
<adj.all> rich seams of coal
containing plenty of fat, or eggs, or sugar
<adj.all> rich desserts they kept gorging on rich foods
marked by richness and fullness of flavor
<adj.all> a rich ruby port full-bodied wines a robust claret the robust flavor of fresh-brewed coffee
pleasantly full and mellow
<adj.all> a rich tenor voice
affording an abundant supply
<adj.all> had ample food for the party copious provisions food is plentiful a plenteous grape harvest a rich supply
Rich \Rich\, (r[i^]ch), a. [Compar. {Richer}; superl. {Richest}.] [OE. riche, AS. r[=i]ce rich, powerful; akin to OS. r[=i]ki, D. rijk, G. reich, OHG. r[=i]hhi, Icel. r[=i]kr, Sw. rik, Dan. rig, Goth. reiks; from a word meaning, ruler, king, probably borrowed from Celtic, and akin to L. rex, regis, king, regere to guide, rule. [root]283. See {Right}, and cf. {Derrick}, {Enrich}, {Rajah}, {Riches}, {Royal}.] 1. Having an abundance of material possessions; possessed of a large amount of property; well supplied with land, goods, or money; wealthy; opulent; affluent; -- opposed to {poor}. ``Rich merchants.'' --Chaucer.
The rich [person] hath many friends. --Prov. xiv. 20.
As a thief, bent to unhoard the cash Of some rich burgher. --Milton.
2. Hence, in general, well supplied; abounding; abundant; copious; bountiful; as, a rich treasury; a rich entertainment; a rich crop.
If life be short, it shall be glorious; Each minute shall be rich in some great action. --Rowe.
The gorgeous East with richest hand Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold. --Milton.
3. Yielding large returns; productive or fertile; fruitful; as, rich soil or land; a rich mine.
4. Composed of valuable or costly materials or ingredients; procured at great outlay; highly valued; precious; sumptuous; costly; as, a rich dress; rich silk or fur; rich presents.
Like to rich and various gems. --Milton.
5. Abounding in agreeable or nutritive qualities; -- especially applied to articles of food or drink which are high-seasoned or abound in oleaginous ingredients, or are sweet, luscious, and high-flavored; as, a rich dish; rich cream or soup; rich pastry; rich wine or fruit.
Sauces and rich spices are fetched from India. --Baker.
6. Not faint or delicate; vivid; as, a rich color.
7. Full of sweet and harmonius sounds; as, a rich voice; rich music.
8. Abounding in beauty; gorgeous; as, a rich landscape; rich scenery.
9. Abounding in humor; exciting amusement; entertaining; as, the scene was a rich one; a rich incident or character. [Colloq.] --Thackeray.
Note: Rich is sometimes used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, rich-fleeced, rich-jeweled, rich-laden, rich-stained.
They foster hostile takeovers and an over-reliance on profitability as a yardstick of success. The chapter on Britain offers a rich and complex explanation of why its industry is in decline.
Florida's rich citrus growing region reported minor crop damage after the second night of record cold.
It has rich reserves of oil and natural gas, a strategic location and triple the population of any other gulf country.
This is a travesty. The Winslows may not be rich, but they are comfortably off, the father having recently retired from a senior post at the Westminster Bank.
Angola has abundant reserves of oil, iron ore and diamonds _ many of them untapped _ and a rich soil that could turn it into a breadbasket of Africa.
Income is more concentrated in the hands of the rich in Latin America than in any other region of the world.
Presumably, every white face was also rich. Was Sitangkai as rough and unruly as the other towns of the Sulu Sea?
To promote his plan, Uno quickly threw himself into a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of countries both rich and poor, ranging from the United States and Great Britain to Bangladesh and Mexico.
The FSLN, the Sandinista Party, in fact is rich in property and installations; before leaving office its leaders outfitted their party at the expense of the national treasury.
After 30 years of grace the locusts are back, cutting a swath from the desert to the rich agricultural lands of North Africa and, possibly, beyond.
Barcelona started out with a very rich architectural base, its restored Gothic quarter ("barrio gotico") and cathedral, its Parisian boulevards and its Catalan "art-nouveau" houses by Antonio Gaudi and his followers.
The only question is how much, and that will be for negotiation, in relation to how much the four rich applicants put into the EU budget. As things stand, taxpayers and consumers in the applicant countries foot the entire bill for their expensive food.
"They are rich and evocative but not in cakes and tea," Ms. Youngman said.
"I sort of thought he could become a movie actor and make a lot of money and I'd probably get rich," John Chrystal says.
The Caribbean nation, once rich in mahogany forests, is in danger of being reduced to a barren rock by desperately poor people who cut down trees for fuel.
Top legislative Democrats and their spending interests, including the state school superintendent, had long sought a "tax the rich" plan.
They eat a rich food supply with little competition.
Chronic labor shortages exist in areas of the Far North and Siberia that are rich in resources but have harsh climates.
The 45,600-square-mile border area, thought to be rich in uranium, has been in dispute for decades.
But many of the new rich have been criticized and even hit with criminal charges for acquiring large amounts of money.
"The issue has been distorted by those who try to maintain that it's a tax for the rich.
Roemer said the tri-state region is rich in oil and natural gas, timber, agricultural products and seafood, all products Japan needs and that can be transported through the states' six seaports.
Over the last three years, six local governments have fallen, usually leading to rule by a federal administrator. The gap between rich and poor is growing, as is an already sharp division between wealthy and backward regions.
Mr. Wilson's ear for the speech of black Americans is unfailing: his rhythms, inflections and vocabulary capture perfectly not only regionalisms but the rich verbal lore of his characters.
Though not an easy read and sometimes repetitive, it is rich in insights.
Xinhua said the new tax law, adopted by the State Council, was designed to keep the gap between rich and poor from getting too wide.
He said the homeless project "would cause disrespect for our system of justice by suggesting that the rich can trade money for liberty while the poor cannot."
The two Italian women came from rich families and renounced prospects of prestigious marriages to enter the convent and work with the poor.
Virginia Rep. Moran, the sponsor, hastens to explain that the purpose isn't to glorify Saddam Hussein but to show the region's rich heritage.
We need foreign investment to speed up activity.' The reality for China is that even if a foreign company strikes it rich immediately, oil would not be flowing from the Tarim basin into the country's pipeline grid much before the end of the century.