Meanings
plural embarrassments of riches
- idiomaticAn abundance or overabundance of something; too much of a good thing.
What might be an embarrassment of riches—a city with three independent and artistically distinct opera companies—may become a lose-lose-lose situation.
2006 January 8, Daniel Ginsberg, “Opera in Berlin: A Staat of Flux”, in Washington Post, page N061 more example
Roger was in the library, trying to choose, from an embarrassment of riches, the ten of his father's books which he was to be permitted to take to the city.
1908, Myrtle Reed, chapter 23, in Flower of the Dusk
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Frenchembarras des richesses
- Englishembarrassment of riches
Calque of French embarras des richesses, from John Ozell's 1738 translation of a French play, L'Embarras des richesses (1726) by Léonor Jean Christine Soulas d'Allainval.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish runsaudenpula
- runsaudenpulatoo much of a good thing
French embarras du choix
- embarras du choixtoo much of a good thing
German Qual der Wahl
- Qual der Wahltoo much of a good thing
Hebrew צרות של עשירים
- צרות של עשיריםtoo much of a good thing
Italian imbarazzo della scelta
- imbarazzo della sceltatoo much of a good thing
Polish klęska urodzaju, embarras de richesse
- klęska urodzajutoo much of a good thing
- embarras de richessetoo much of a good thing
Cite this entry
embarrassment of riches. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embarrassment%20of%20riches
“embarrassment of riches.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embarrassment%20of%20riches. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “embarrassment of riches,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embarrassment%20of%20riches.
Source: embarrassment of riches on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.