Meanings
present singular third person richsplains · participle present richsplaining · participle past richsplained · past richsplained · alternative rich-splain
- derogatoryinformalTo explain to a poor person (as a middle-class or wealthy person) in a condescending manner, presuming the listener's inferior understanding.
It should also be acknowledged that Trollope “richsplains” to the Canadians but not to his English readers, who come from the upper or middle classes.
2016, Barbara Ludwiczak, “'What is the cry even of the Canadians?': Resistance towards Imperial Paternalism and US 'braggadocio' in Anthony Trollope’s North America”, in TransCanadiana: Polish Journal of Canadian Studies, number 8, page 1911 more example
In this period of declining mobility and the American dream falling out of people's reach, rich people generally responded by richsplaining to them that all was well, that you were wrong about your own reality, things were getting better and you just had to sit down and shut up and lean in.
2018, Anand Giridharadas, quoted in Erica Moody, "Enabling Inequality", Washington Life Magazine, October 2018, page 45
Origin
From rich + -splain, after the pattern of mansplain.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
richsplain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/richsplain
“richsplain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/richsplain. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “richsplain,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/richsplain.
Source: richsplain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.