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

Examples of well-to-do in a Sentence

a doctor who is now quite well-to-do as a result of his successful medical practice
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 new Prime Video miniseries The Girlfriend is about Laura, a well-to-do American expat living in London whose maternal instincts come out when her young-adult son Daniel starts dating Cherry, a working-class woman who’s clearly a gold digger, and possibly dangerous beyond that. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025 In the novel, Heathcliff is taken in as a mysterious orphan by a well-to-do family and forms an intense bond with their daughter, Catherine. Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025 Upon returning to the United States, Zwick was accepted into the American Film Institute’s (AFI) program for would-be filmmakers, plus Allen connected him to the well-to-do daughter of a Bel-Air ad mogul. John Tamny, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Tennis has often been used as cinematic shorthand for a leisure activity among the well-to-do, and A Room with a View showcases this better than most. Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for well-to-do

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Well-to-do.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/well-to-do. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

well-to-do

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

More from Merriam-Webster on well-to-do

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