silver spoon

noun

Wealth passed down or inherited.

“He was born with a silver spoon and an upturned nose. He didn't lose the latter when he squandered the former.”

Similar
old money
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Meanings

nounsilver spoon (uncountable)
  1. idiomaticuncountableWealth passed down or inherited.

    He was born with a silver spoon and an upturned nose. He didn't lose the latter when he squandered the former.

    1 more example

    Some folks are born silver spoon in hand / Lord, don't they help themselves, yeah

    1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son”, in Willy and the Poor Boys

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe inherited wealth of established upper-class families

Similar
old money
Broader
inherited wealth
Also see
old money

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Rooted in 18th century European table-setting customs, when diners would bring their own utensils to the meal. To distinguish themselves from serfs and peasants, members of the land-owning classes often used silver cutlery, whence the term silverware.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 金鎖匙 /金锁匙
  • 金鎖匙 /金锁匙 (gam¹ so² si⁴)wealth passed down
Chinese Mandarin 金湯匙 /金汤匙, 金鑰匙 /金钥匙
  • 金湯匙 /金汤匙 (jīn tāngchí)wealth passed down
  • 金鑰匙 /金钥匙 (jīnyàoshi)wealth passed down
Finnish hopealusikka
  • hopealusikkawealth passed down
Cite this entry
APA

silver spoon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silver%20spoon

MLA

“silver spoon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silver%20spoon. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “silver spoon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silver%20spoon.

Source: silver spoon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.