well-to-do

US/ˌwɛltəˈdu/

adjective

Rich, prosperous, financially stable and comfortable.

“Some philosophers aver that the well-to-do should be taxed at a higher rate than poorer people.”

Meanings

adjectivewell-to-do (comparative more well-to-do, superlative most well-to-do)

comparative more well-to-do · superlative most well-to-do

  1. Rich, prosperous, financially stable and comfortable.

    Some philosophers aver that the well-to-do should be taxed at a higher rate than poorer people.

    2 more examples

    From another point of view, it was a place without a soul. The well-to-do had hearts of stone; the rich were brutally bumptious; the Press, the Municipality, all the public men, were ridiculously, vaingloriously self-satisfied.

    1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

    There was a single arrivals platform, nearest to King's Cross. The large arch beneath the clock gave access to Hansom carriages clip-clopping up the cobbled ramp from the main gate in Euston Road, directly onto the platform, to meet well-to-do passengers.

    2023 August 23, Nigel Harris, “Comment: End damaging drift at Euston”, in RAIL, number 990, page 3

    Synonyms: affluent, well-fixed, well-heeled, for more, wealthy

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveRich, prosperous, financially stable and comfortable.

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivein fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Arabic مُقْتَدِر
  • مُقْتَدِر (muqtadir)rich
Bulgarian богат, заможен
  • богат (bogat)rich
  • заможен (zamožen)rich
Catalan benestant, adinerat
  • benestantrich
  • adineratrich
  • ricrich
Dutch welgesteld
  • welgesteldrich
Finnish varakas, rikas
  • varakasrich
  • rikasrich
  • vaurasrich
  • varoissaanrich
French riche, aisé
  • richerich
  • aisérich
German bemittelt
  • bemitteltrich
Hungarian tehetős, jómódú
  • tehetősrich
  • jómódúrich
Irish brabachúil
  • brabachúilrich
Italian benestante, agiato
  • benestanterich
  • agiatorich
  • abbienterich
  • facoltosorich
  • denarosorich
  • danarosorich
Persian مرفه
  • مرفه (moraffah)rich
Russian богатый, состоятельный
  • богатый (bogatyj)rich
  • состоятельный (sostojatelʹnyj)rich
Swedish välbärgad, välbeställd
  • välbärgadrich
  • välbeställdrich
  • förmögenrich
  • välsitueradrich
Tagalog mariwasa
  • mariwasarich
Ukrainian забезпечений, заможний
  • забезпечений (zabezpečenyj)rich
  • заможний (zamožnyj)rich
Cite this entry
APA

well-to-do. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/well-to-do

MLA

“well-to-do.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/well-to-do. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “well-to-do,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/well-to-do.

Source: well-to-do on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.