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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

Examples 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
Actors lost homes The flames tore through affluent neighborhoods home to California’s rich and famous. Tony Kurzweil, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025 The median home price in Palisades, an affluent residential area, is more than $3 million, the J.P. Morgan report stated, while the median home price in Butte County, where the Camp Fire burned in 2018, was less than $500,000. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
Prospects for luxury spending has worsened since June’s survey among a comparable sample of 400 affluents. Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024 Catering to the affluent often means competing with rivals to offer more diverse products, fighting the constant threat that clients can move their money elsewhere. Will Daniel, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for affluent 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affluent
Adjective
  • Most Popular Most Popular Moore’s budget plan raises taxes on wealthiest Maryland residents.
    Glynis Kazanjian, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2025
  • That's a question being debated in the rarefied air of Davos, Switzerland, as billionaires and less wealthy movers and shakers gather at the World Economic Forum to consider the global issues of the day, from climate change to artificial intelligence to poverty.
    Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 22 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • By his own accounting, Lipscomb travelled eighty thousand miles on the Hudson and its tributaries during the past two and a half decades, or the equivalent of more than three circumnavigations of the Earth, all at a slow and steady speed of five or six knots, with the aim of seeing and being seen.
    Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Helene’s rains flooded the streams, creeks and tributaries that feed into the Nolichucky, transforming the river into a deadly torrent.
    USA TODAY Graphics team, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Larry Ellison, also one of the world’s richest men, is facing regulatory hurdles with the Paramount-Skydance merger that would see his son, Skydance CEO David Ellison, running the combined media assets.
    Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Eating purple foods rich in anthocyanins may help support gut health, ease inflammation, and reduce oxidative stress (cell damage).1 1.
    Johna Burdeos, Health, 23 Jan. 2025

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Thesaurus Entries Near affluent

Cite this Entry

“Affluent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affluent. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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