rich

Compared meaning: having a lot of money (adjective).

比较义项：拥有大量金钱或资源，富裕的（形容词）。

• wealthy

  Neutral, fairly formal word for having a lot of money or valuable possessions, typically describing people, families or nations; less casual than rich.

  中性、较为正式的词，指拥有大量金钱或贵重财产，通常形容人、家庭或国家；比rich更少口语化。

  Only the wealthy could afford such expensive artwork.

  只有富人才买得起如此昂贵的艺术品。

• rich 本词

  The most common, everyday word for having a lot of money; can sound blunt; also used for unrelated senses like rich food or resources, not compared here.

  最常见、最口语化的词，指拥有大量金钱；语气可能显得较为直接；也可用于表示“食物味道浓厚”或“资源丰富”等其他义项，此处不作比较。

  He got rich by investing in real estate early.

  他因早年投资房地产而变得富有。

• affluent

  Formal word describing a comfortable, well-off lifestyle or community rather than an individual's raw wealth; common in phrases like affluent neighborhood.

  较为正式的词，形容舒适、富裕的生活方式或社区，而非直接指个人拥有的财富多少；常见搭配如affluent neighborhood（富裕社区）。

  She grew up in an affluent family and attended private school.

  她成长于一个富裕的家庭，就读私立学校。

• prosperous

  Emphasizes success and thriving growth, often of a business, place or economy, that brings wealth; rarely used to describe one person's money directly.

  强调因成功和兴旺发展而带来的富裕，常用于企业、地区或经济，而不直接形容某个人的金钱状况。

  The country enjoyed a prosperous period of economic growth.

  这个国家经历了一段经济繁荣的兴旺时期。

Wealthy, rich, affluent, and prosperous all mean having a lot of money. Rich is the most common word; its unrelated sense, rich food, is not compared here. Wealthy is neutral. Affluent describes a comfortable lifestyle or community. Prosperous stresses success, for a business or economy.

这几个词都可用来形容“富裕的”，但语气和用法有所不同：rich最口语化，也可表示“食物味道浓厚”或“资源丰富”（此处不比较这些义项）；wealthy较为正式中性；affluent常形容生活方式或社区的富裕；prosperous更强调因成功而兴旺，常用于企业、地区或经济，而非直接形容个人的财富。