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Affluent

What does 'Affluent' mean? Clear definitions, real examples and a short video, explained by a British English teacher.

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What does ‘Affluent’ mean?

Related forms: Business English:

Rich, with a lot of money or spending power. Well-heeled.

“Many parts of Europe are very affluent”.
“Affluent is an adjective that means rich, well off or wealthy. In the West a person who is affluent will live in a big house that is located in a good district. They will have frequent foreign holidays, they will drive a large car and will often eat in restaurants. It is said that in the West we live in an affluent society. This means we have all our basic needs covered and money left over to spend on ourselves, however this has made us lazy. When people are affluent there are jobs they will not do and there are salary levels belo which they will not work, This in turn leads to immigration”.
“The Martins live in a very affluent neighbourhood”.
“You can see he is affluent by the way he dresses”.
“Affluence is the associated uncountable noun. However it has two meanings”.

The state of being wealthy.
A large quantity or abundance of something or a high density.

“On Saturdays there is an affluence of people in the High Street”.
“You might even say an affluence of affluent people. (many rich people)”.
“There is an affluence of vehicles in the city during the rush hour”.

Watch: ‘Affluent’ explained

Video transcript

A is for Affluent. Affluent is an adjective, it means rich, wealthy, with lots of money. OK. Many of the people who live in central London are very affluent, they are very wealthy. They have a lot of money. People say that in Europe we live in an affluent society, everybody has the things they need, unfortunately it's not completely true, we are rich. OK. Affluent, an affluent person, a rich person, a person with a high disposable income. Yes. So a company perhaps wants affluent clients. Maybe an affluent person buys a Rolls Royce, or not. So, affluent, with a lot of money, rich, wealthy, with a high spending power. So, thanks for watching......

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