Definition of AFFLUENT (original) (raw)
1
: having an abundance of goods or riches : wealthy
1
: a tributary stream
… its meandering stream, one of the smaller affluents of the Sacramento.—
John Muir
2
[derivative of affluent entry 1] : a wealthy or affluent person
The affluents exhibit far less demographic diversity than is exhibited in any of the lower-income segments of the population.—Pamela N. Danzinger
Did you know?
Visualize with us: coffers overflowing, a cash flow more than adequate, assets that are fluid, an elderly duck in a top hat diving into a pool of gold coins. The images conjured reflect the essence of the word affluent. Based on the Latin verb fluere, meaning "to flow," affluent is all about flow. (The same image is echoed in other fluere descendants, such as confluence, fluctuate, fluid, influence, mellifluous, and superfluous.) The flowing of goods or riches wasn't the word's first concern, however; 16th century print examples of affluent tend to be about the abundance of such intangibles as "goodness" and "spirit." In the 17th century, the flow suggested by affluent varied greatly: streams, poisons, estates, and blood were all described with the word. In modern use, affluent most often describes wealthy people (or ducks), or places where wealthy people live.
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for affluent
rich, wealthy, affluent, opulent mean having goods, property, and money in abundance.
rich implies having more than enough to gratify normal needs or desires.
became rich through shrewd investing
wealthy stresses the possession of property and intrinsically valuable things.
affluent suggests prosperity and an increasing wealth.
opulent suggests lavish expenditure and display of great wealth, more often applying to things than people.
Examples of affluent in a Sentence
Adjective
The store catered to a mostly affluent clientele that was relatively price insensitive, so we could afford to pay our suppliers a premium for the very best fish. The shop also developed a significant wholesale business, and soon the great and the good of London gastronomy were flocking to our door. —Frances Percival, Saveur, March 2008 A recent crop of books and articles give voice to this complaint. They happen to be written by journalists who are also well-educated and affluent mothers, but when it comes to parental discontent they are not alone. —Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Commonweal, 16 June 2006 The Bay Area, which encompasses the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, as well as surrounding areas, is one of the nation's most affluent regions: More than 40% of the area's residents have annual household income of at least $75,000, versus only 25% in the country's other top 50 markets, according to Scarborough Research. —Eileen Davis Hudson et al., Editor & Publisher, 1 Oct. 2001
His family was more affluent than most. he is affluent and can afford to send his children to the best schools Noun
the Nipigon and the St. Louis rivers are affluents of Lake Superior
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The company has even taken its advertising to subway stations in some of the city-state’s most affluent areas. —Kevin Lim, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025 Green design architects can help A method that's been around for thousands of years and that was perfected in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, green roofs weren't uncommon in more affluent neighborhoods when Cassiano first heard about them. —Jill Langlois, NPR, 25 Jan. 2025
The author also notes that the illusion of easy prosperity promotes a cycle of self-blame among the poor, benefiting the affluent who are not obligated to assist their less fortunate neighbors. —Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024 The current credit card system essentially functions as a private tax collection mechanism, extracting billions from the real economy to fund rewards programs that primarily benefit the affluent. —Justin Grooms, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for affluent 
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, "flowing in abundance, copious," borrowed from Latin affluent-, affluens "flowing with, abundant," present participle of affluere "to flow in, come streaming along, be abundantly present," from ad- ad- + fluere "to flow, run" — more at fluid entry 1
Noun
borrowed from French, borrowed from Latin affluent-, affluens "flowing in" — more at affluent entry 1
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Noun
1735, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of affluent was in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near affluent
Cite this Entry
“Affluent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affluent. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
Share
More from Merriam-Webster on affluent
Last Updated: 1 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!