affluent 1 of 2

affluent

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noun

as in tributary
a stream that flows into a larger body of water the Nipigon and the St. Louis rivers are affluents of Lake Superior

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word affluent distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of affluent are opulent, rich, and wealthy. While all these words mean "having goods, property, and money in abundance," affluent suggests prosperity and an increasing wealth.

an affluent society

When could opulent be used to replace affluent?

The synonyms opulent and affluent are sometimes interchangeable, but opulent suggests lavish expenditure and display of great wealth, more often applying to things than people.

an opulent mansion

When is rich a more appropriate choice than affluent?

The words rich and affluent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rich implies having more than enough to gratify normal needs or desires.

became rich through shrewd investing

When can wealthy be used instead of affluent?

Although the words wealthy and affluent have much in common, wealthy stresses the possession of property and intrinsically valuable things.

wealthy landowners

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of affluent
Adjective
The Sundance Film Festival will bring millions of dollars in revenue to the Boulder area as 60,000 affluent tourists descend on the town for one of the world’s pre-eminent independent film screenings. The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2025 After affluent consumers dominated the holiday travel season, their plans for the year ahead remain robust. Harriet Baskas, NBC News, 2 Feb. 2025
Noun
Norway green-lit an increase in taxes earlier this year, causing its affluent to flee to Switzerland to dodge taxes. Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 30 Oct. 2024 Prospects for luxury spending has worsened since June’s survey among a comparable sample of 400 affluents. Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for affluent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affluent
Adjective
  • Trump this week announced the creation of a new investment visa that gives the overseas wealthy permanent residency and a path to citizenship in return for $5 million.
    Robert Frank, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Trump said the gold card program would be open for wealthy people, such as Russian oligarchs, to apply.
    Scott Murdoch, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Their native range includes parts of lower Canada, the upper Midwest, the Great Lakes and its tributaries, the Ohio River Basin, and parts of Appalachia.
    Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Similar to the Colorado river in northern Arizona, the Charyn River and its tributaries spent millions of years eroding the arid landscape into crazy shapes and a palette of rocky reds, oranges, ochers, yellows, and whites.
    Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • This show is effectively an anthology drama, with each new edition following a different set of rich tourists and well-meaning service industry employees at high-end international resorts.
    Noel Murray, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025
  • In a slice of rich irony, OpenAI itself began to whine a couple of weeks ago when a Chinese rival, DeepSeek, garnered sudden attention.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Affluent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affluent. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.

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