# wealth

/ˈwɛɫθ/ (US) · /wˈɛlθ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wealth
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. money and assets

noun · CEFR B2

a large amount of money, property, or valuable things that a person or country owns.

For teachers: the state of being rich; a great amount of valuable material possessions or financial assets.

- The family's wealth came from their successful shipping business over many years.
- Economists are concerned that the concentration of wealth in a small percentage of the population may lead to long-term social instability.

Usage: Uncountable in this sense.

### 2. a large amount of something

noun · CEFR B2

a large amount of something useful or interesting.

For teachers: an abundance or profusion of something, often used with 'of'.

- The library offers a wealth of information for students doing research.
- The new encyclopedia provides a wealth of detail regarding the architectural history of the region, including rare photographs and blueprints.

Usage: Usually takes the preposition 'of'.

### 3. well-being

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

a state of being healthy, happy, and successful.

For teachers: the state of prosperity or well-being of a person or community.

- The old prayers asked for the health and wealth of the king.
- In this historical context, the term refers not to financial gain but to the general wealth and commonweal of the citizenry.

Usage: Rarely used in modern speech except in fixed historical or religious contexts.

## Examples

- The family used their wealth to build a new hospital.
- The country's wealth comes primarily from its vast reserves of natural gas and oil.
- The library offers a wealth of information for researchers interested in the social history of the Victorian era.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.