mega-richadj.n.
/ˈmɛɡəˌrɪtʃ/, U.S. /ˈmɛɡəˌrɪtʃ/ colloquial.
A. adj.
Extremely wealthy.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > wealth > [adjective] > very or fabulously
as rich as Crœsus1577
to be made of money1781
super-rich1901
stinking1945
loaded1948
mega-rich1980
mega-money1989
1980 Economist 22 Mar. 81 The strength of gold was a mirror image of the world's loss of faith in all major currencies. The world, in this context, means principally, the new mega-rich oil sheikhs.
1986 City Limits 15 Jan. 75 This skirts the edge of Hampstead Heath..taking you past the homes of the mega-rich.
1998 Touch Aug. 28/2 The Ewings, an ‘every-day’ mega-rich Texan family with a soft spot for oil, shoulder pads and Stetson hats.
B. n.
With the: extremely wealthy people as a class.
ΚΠ
1989 ‘G. Naylor’ Red Dwarf 106 To become a hologram, outside of the Space Corps, you had to be one of the mega-rich.
1993 Guardian 28 Oct. i. 17/8 Sour grapes, perhaps, but you would have thought common decency would oblige the mega-rich to pay their full 40 per cent.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1980