fat-cat 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of fat-catnext
as in wealthy
having goods, property, or money in abundance the economy was in recession, but the fat-cat financiers on Wall Street didn't seem to be suffering

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fat cat

2 of 2

noun

1
as in have
a wealthy person that last recession was particularly hard on the poor, but the fat cats barely noticed a dip in their bank accounts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group a candidate that has the backing of most of the party's fat cats

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 fat-cat
Adjective
Writers, broadcasters and even fat-cat owners do it as well. — Steve Buckley, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025 But perhaps the biggest antidote to The Studio’s overdog problem is that its fat-cat Apple TV+ profile can easily be spun as good for everybody. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
Nah, that's for the fat cats and money-grubbers. — Steph Wagner, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026 Though many corporations could still afford suites, fat cats high-fiving while their employees lost their jobs and their companies were taking bailouts was a bad look. — John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fat-cat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fat-cat
  1. wealthy
  2. have
  3. heavyweight
  4. rich
  5. capitalist
  6. heavy
  7. affluent
  8. silk stocking
Adjective
  • Some commenters questioned why a wealthy donor would bring a prominent university from Pittsburgh to Miami rather than direct more money toward institutions already serving local students.
    — Luisa Yanez October 2, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • At issue are certain use cases of Section 351 exchanges, in which wealthy individuals, through an intermediary, create new ETFs with a basket of highly appreciated stocks.
    — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of wealthy
Noun
  • His image suggests an instinct for how a certain can’t-have-it distance is a condition of cool and bankability.
    — David Lê, Curbed, 8 Sep. 2026
  • And is a 165-pound back your best north-south option on a gotta-have-it conversion when Micah Welch, who outweighs Taylor by 50 pounds, could hammer it home?
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of have
Noun
  • Chip heavyweight Nvidia is rolling out a new software platform that allows AI developers to set safeguards for agents to prevent them from misbehaving.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Sporting a cowboy hat, grill and goatee, Cho makes for a menacing villain who more than holds his own against the heavyweight Ali.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Adjective
  • Expect light wood accents, rich textiles, white plantation shutters, and framed artwork alongside in-room lending libraries.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Deep underground, groundwater comes into direct contact with iron-rich minerals such as olivine, triggering a chemical reaction called serpentinization.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of rich
Noun
  • The billionaire venture capitalist and PayPal co-founder quietly bought the property through a limited liability company at a foreclosure auction in Pomona in July, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the sale.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Other significant players include venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, and OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman.
    — Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of capitalist
Noun
  • This is not the most visually appealing app on the market as bet365 is typically more text-heavy anyway.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The tech-heavy Nasdaq led the major averages, rising 2% for the week, while the S & P 500 jumped 1%.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of heavy
Adjective
  • According to the Berkeley and Oakland police departments, responders arrived at the home Friday morning, soon after receiving reports of gunshots heard in the affluent neighborhood near the UC Berkeley campus.
    — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The radiant setting is especially attractive to affluent couples from across Asia as well as the US, Australia, and Europe.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of affluent
Noun
  • The record also states that the boys were wearing heavy wool coats and silk stockings in the middle of summer in Philly.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
  • In Girard’s household, at least three women would have mended his silk stockings and other clothes.
    — Emily J. Whitted, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of silk stocking

Browse Nearby Words

fatality
fat-cat
fat cat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fat-cat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fat-cat. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All