richness
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the state of having a lot of money or valuable things.
the state or quality of possessing great material wealth or resources.
Simple“The richness of the family was obvious from their large house and expensive cars.”
In context“Historians often debate whether the sudden richness of the merchant class led directly to the cultural shifts of the following century.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
having a large amount or a great variety of something useful or interesting.
the state of having a profusion or wide variety of examples, cases, or resources.
Simple“The richness of the library's collection makes it a great place for research.”
In context“The sheer richness of detail in the witness's testimony convinced the jury that he was telling the truth.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
the number of different types of plants and animals living in one area.
the number of different species represented in an ecological community, landscape, or region.
Simple“Scientists are worried that the richness of the rainforest is disappearing.”
In context“Conservation efforts in the wetlands have successfully restored the species richness to levels not seen since the 1950s.”
UsageOften used in the specific phrase 'species richness'.
Synonymsbiodiversityvariety - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
a quality of food, sound, or colour that is deep, strong, and pleasing.
the quality of being pleasingly deep, vivid, or full in sensory characteristics such as flavour, colour, or sound.
Simple“The richness of the chocolate cake made it hard to eat more than one piece.”
In context“The singer's voice had a natural richness that filled the concert hall even without a microphone.”
“Greater species richness indicates a more distant water source, a common signal during El Niño.”
Inherited from Middle English richenesse; by surface analysis, rich + -ness.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.