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
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
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
John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
In the Hollywood of yore, producers were seen as fat cats.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 19 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
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
In the Hollywood of yore, producers were seen as fat cats.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 19 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fat-cat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fat-cat
Adjective
-
Darboven was a wealthy woman who never left home and used acquisition agents.—
Erika Landström,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
With higher prices and a looming billionaire wealth tax, the Golden State continues to see both working-class residents and wealthy business owners leaving for more affordable cities.—
Lindsay Kornick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
If organizations aren’t careful, their approach to AI will split their workforce into haves and have-nots, undermining the technology’s benefits.—
Matt Rosenbaum,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
Set in the lush forests and fields of northeastern France, this excitingly offbeat first feature from Sarah Arnold depicts a gory factional war between hunters and farmers, haves and have-nots, with one depressed fish-out-of-water gendarme caught in the middle.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
South Korea's Kospi is bearing the brunt of the selling, with heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix deeply in the red.—
Katie Foley,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
-
The 2026 gubernatorial primary has been one of the most unpredictable and expensive in decades and a race that was shaped early on by a number of heavyweight Democrats staying on the sidelines.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Over the course of Gregory Orr’s long career, his poems have become increasingly incantatory, more and more like chants or psalms, repeating, reformulating, reaching for the edges of the same rich metaphors.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
Time gave us the late-career brilliance of filmmakers like Jane Campion, Agnès Varda, Claire Denis, and Kathryn Bigelow, whose work became richer, fiercer, and more self-assured because these women had lived and learned so much.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Property Play covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, from individuals to venture capitalists, private equity funds, family offices, institutional investors and large public companies.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
Some experts fear tech companies and venture capitalists are pouring too much money into a still-nascent and unproven technology.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The morning meal is becoming the most protein-heavy of the day in many homes, a notable change from the carb-forward cereals and pastries that once defined the American breakfast table.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
4 June 2026
-
Even the tech-heavy Nasdaq made it into positive territory.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
These figures likely understate the true advantage because affluent families can afford test preparation services that boost scores in the first place.—
Prasad Krishnamurthy,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
The mayor of an affluent suburb of Los Angeles pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government last month.—
Julia Press,
Bloomberg,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Bjork, however, went all-in on the look, posing on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia in the blurred tulle Margiela gown with a merkin wig, fashioned from real human hair and painstakingly embroidered to the crotch of an underlaid silk stocking bodysuit.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fat-cat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fat-cat. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
