: having more than adequate financial resources : prosperous
a well-to-do family

Examples of well-to-do in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To be able to afford the fees is a pipe dream for most families in Gaza, living in poverty, and a small fortune even for well-to-do Palestinians who have fled their homes and struggle to obtain basic necessities during the war. Daniel Estrin, NPR, 2 Mar. 2024 Although Denmark is a small and wealthy nation, there’s still a wide gap between the well-to-do urban population and those in the rural districts whose lives are under pressure and who feel forgotten by those in power. Dennis Zhou, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 His mother was German, his father was Spanish and the family was well-to-do. Penelope Green, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 The differences become even more magnified when compared to well-to-do individuals. Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The youngest of six daughters, Angela Chao was born in 1973 in Syosset, N.Y., on the North Shore of Long Island, and grew up in Harrison, N.Y., a well-to-do town in Westchester County. Michael Forsythe, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024 The lock-in effect also doesn’t have much of an effect on the wealthy, so while others have held on tight to their homes and refused to sell for fear of losing their low mortgage rate, well-to-do buyers haven’t been held back as much. Alena Botros, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2024 As a personal assistant to a well-to-do retiree, Nora Szigeti is tasked with much of the usual fare: managing a calendar, booking travel, running errands. Andrew Zucker, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2024 Men remain the financial decision-makers in two-thirds of well-to-do households, defined as holding $100,000 to $10 million in personal investable assets. Brittany Shammas, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'well-to-do.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of well-to-do was in 1794

Dictionary Entries Near well-to-do

Cite this Entry

“Well-to-do.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/well-to-do. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

well-to-do

adjective
ˌwel-tə-ˈdü
: having plenty of money and possessions : prosperous

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