Affluent means having plenty of money. An affluent suburb, affluent families, comparatively affluent.
It is a polite word and a relative one — affluent means comfortable rather than rich, and it describes areas and groups more often than individuals. The affluent society was Galbraith's title in 1958. Note that the Latin means flowing towards, so affluence is wealth flowing in, from the same root as fluid.
1adjectiveaffluentHaving plenty of money.
“They live in an affluent suburb full of large houses and expensive cars.”
synonyms: prosperous, well-off
affluent is a quality of wealth.
Latin affluens is the participle of affluere, to flow towards — ad plus fluere, to flow. Fluid and influence come from the same flowing.
Latin
affluentem
Middle French
affluent
English, today
affluent
Built from
Middle French affluent, borrowed in turn from Latin affluentem, accusative singular of affluēns, present active participle of affluō (“flow to or towards; overflow with”), from ad (“to, towards”) + fluō (“flow”) (cognate via latter to fluid, flow). Sense of “wealthy” (plentiful flow of goods) c. 1600, which also led to nominalization affluence. by surface analysis, af- + fluent.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA