affluent 1 of 2

affluent

2 of 2

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

Example 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
But these characters — oblivious hipsters with limited prospects and even more limited resources — couldn’t be more different from Allen’s affluent and accomplished Upper West Siders. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 May 2025 His unhappiness is of the usual affluent 21st-century type. Belinda Luscombe, Time, 9 May 2025
Noun
The current credit card system essentially functions as a private tax collection mechanism, extracting billions from the real economy to fund rewards programs that primarily benefit the affluent. Justin Grooms, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2024 The homes of the affluent stood out as the landscape rushed by. Sheikh Saaliq, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 May 2024 See All Example Sentences for affluent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affluent
Adjective
  • Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon play the mom and dad of a wealthy family holed up in a posh bunker in a salt mine, George MacKay plays their son who yearns to know about the inhospitable outside world, and Moses Ingram is the stranger who changes everything.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 May 2025
  • By 1960, Gros Michel exports had all but vanished from supermarket shelves; surviving plants only persisted in isolated, small-scale farms or private collections of wealthy aficionados who could afford the costly biosecurity measures necessary to keep them alive.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
Noun
  • In Santarém, where the rainforest meets the Tapajós River — one of the main tributaries of the Amazon — the consequences are already unfolding.
    Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
  • In the vast network of rivers and tributaries that make up the Pearl River Basin in southern China, the water is naturally filtered by living creatures.
    Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The Russian dressing, a thick, chunky Thousand Island, is rich enough.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
  • Avocados Avocados are rich in heart-healthy fats, and many other health-promoting nutrients.
    Lindsey DeSoto, Health, 12 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Affluent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affluent. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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