Phrase guide

well off

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a person: in fortunate circumstances, especially having financial security, at any level from intermediate (comfortably off) to high (wealthy).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: well-endowed, wealthy; see also Thesaurus:wealthy
  • He is very well off as a result of his stock portfolio containing some big winners over the years.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: well-heeled, comfortable, well-endowed, wealthy, bow-legged wi' brass, comfortably off, filthy rich, loaded, minted, moneyed, moneybags, of means, oofy, rich, rich as Croesus, rolling, rolling in dough, rolling in it, upper crust, well off, well-to-do

Antonyms: badly off, ill off, almsless, arm, bankrupt, beggared, beggarly, boracic, broke, broken, broker than the Ten Commandments, depauperate, destitute, dirt poor, disadvantaged, down and out, down at heel, down on one's luck, down on one's uppers, empty-handed, farthingless, feeling the pinch, flat, goodless, groatless, hard up, impecunious, impoverished, in need, indigent, insolvent, lower-class, moneyless, necessitous, needy, oofless, pauperized, penniless, penurious, pinched, pok kai, poor, poor as a church mouse, poor as a rat, poor as Job, possessionless, poverty-ridden, poverty-stricken, shillingless, skint, stone-broke, stony-broke, strapped, stuck, threadbare, unwealthy, wealthless

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of a person or thing: in a good position or circumstance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, dialectal

Examples

  • He would be well off if he would simply quit this place and never look back.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: doing well

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: заможен (zamožen) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Catalan: benestant — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Catalan: folgat — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Danish: velstående — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Finnish: hyväosainen — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Finnish: varakas — being in fortunate circumstances
  • French: nanti — being in fortunate circumstances
  • French: à l’aise — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Georgian: შეძლებული (šeʒlebuli) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • German: gut dran — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Ancient Greek: εὔπορος (eúporos) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Ancient Greek: εὖ βεβηκώς (eû bebēkṓs) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Irish: go maith as — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Italian: benestante — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Macedonian: имашлив (imašliv) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Macedonian: имотен (imoten) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Norwegian Bokmål: velstående — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: velståande — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Persian: دارا (dârâ) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Polish: zamożny — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Portuguese: abastado — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Russian: состоя́тельный (sostojátelʹnyj) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Scottish Gaelic: air dòigh — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Scottish Gaelic: dòigheil — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Scottish Gaelic: gu math dheth — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Spanish: pudiente — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Spanish: adinerado — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Spanish: acomodado — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Spanish: holgado — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Ukrainian: замо́жний (zamóžnyj) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Ukrainian: забезпе́чений (zabezpéčenyj) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Ukrainian: заможний (zamožnyj) — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Welsh: cefnog — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Welsh: codog — being in fortunate circumstances
  • Yiddish: פֿאַרמעגלעך (farmeglekh) — being in fortunate circumstances