richesse
/ʁi.ʃɛs/feminine
The English word wealth is translated into French as richesse.
Richesse refers to riches or valuable material possessions. It can also be used figuratively to describe the richness or abundance of something non-material, such as the richness of a vocabulary. If you want to say someone is rolling in money, you can use the idiom être plein aux as or if they have deep pockets, you can use avoir les poches pleines.
Meaning: riches, valuable material possessions (noun)
Which one should you use?
While richesse can refer to the abstract concept of wealth, the plural form richesses is more commonly used when referring to tangible, diverse material assets. The adjective form of the noun richesse is riche.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form richesses is often used to refer to specific types of wealth or a collection of valuable assets. Richesse is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁi.ʃɛs/
Did you know?
- In a geological or natural context, richesses is the standard term for describing 'natural resources' like minerals or oil found in the earth.
- French uses the word patrimoine to describe a specific kind of inherited wealth or family estate, a distinction that English usually handles with 'heritage' or 'assets'.
- Unlike English, which often uses 'wealthy' as a neutral term, the French riche can carry a stronger social connotation of belonging to the upper class or 'bourgeoisie'.
Examples in context
- Elle cherche la richesse.She is seeking wealth.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of richesse in the context of seeking wealth.Tatoeba #8724003 by Micsmithel, translation #316787 by rul
- La richesse génère le pouvoir.Wealth begets power.This sentence shows how richesse can be used to describe the relationship between wealth and power.Tatoeba #1546184 by sacredceltic, translation #1546055 by Spamster
- La santé prime sur la richesse.Health is above wealth.This sentence demonstrates the comparison between health and richesse.Tatoeba #8804 by U2FS, translation #238971 by hebrajska
- La richesse de cette nation est impressionnante.The wealth of this nation is impressive.
- Il a une grande fortune grâce à ses investissements.He has great wealth thanks to his investments.
- 51 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are discussing their goals for the future.
- ManonTu rêves de richesse, n'est-ce pas ?You dream of wealth, don't you?
- LucasPas vraiment, je veux juste être confortable.Not really, I just want to be comfortable.
- ManonLa richesse permet d'être libre.Wealth allows one to be free.
- LucasC'est vrai, mais c'est difficile à obtenir.That's true, but it's difficult to obtain.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wealth” translations and entries richesse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
