richly
gb/ɹˈɪt͡ʃli/ us/ɹˈɪt͡ʃli/
B2
English
~ 6200
Senses
0 senses
adverb
B2
property
1
in a luxurious or elaborate way
In a very full, strong, or luxurious way, with a lot of decoration, color, taste, or other quality.
Usage pattern:
richly [past participle/adjective]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "rich" instead of "richly" before a past participle, saying *"a rich decorated room" instead of "a richly decorated room." Remember to use the adverb "richly" to describe how something is decorated, colored, flavored, or detailed.
Synonyms
luxuriously (Focuses more directly on comfort and expense, especially with lifestyle or surroundings.)
|
lavishly (Often suggests spending a lot of money or using more than necessary.)
|
opulently (More formal and literary, often describing very showy wealth.)
Antonyms
plainly (Describes something with little or no decoration or special quality.)
|
sparingly (Suggests using only a small amount of something rather than a rich amount.)
Collocations
richly decorated
|richly furnished
|richly colored
|richly detailed
|richly textured
|richly flavored
Themes
appearance
|food
|art
|daily_life
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- The walls were richly decorated with paintings and gold trim.
- They served a richly flavored soup that simmered for hours.
- The novel is richly detailed, bringing the entire city to life.
- Her voice is richly expressive, even in the quietest songs.
- The carpet was woven in richly colored patterns of red and blue.
Learner examples
- The hotel lobby was richly decorated.
- This cake is richly flavored with chocolate.
- The movie is richly detailed and very beautiful.
- He spoke in a deeply, richly warm voice.
- The garden is richly colored in the summer.
unknown
B2
property
2
fully or amply, often deserved
Very much, or more than enough, especially when something is completely deserved or has a strong quality.
Usage pattern:
richly [past participle/adjective]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "richly" only talks about money. In this meaning, it does NOT mean someone got a lot of money; it means they got a lot of something or that it was fully deserved (for example, "richly deserved" or "richly rewarded"). Also, do not say *"very richly deserved"; usually "richly deserved" alone is strong enough.
Synonyms
amply (Very close in meaning; slightly more formal and less common in everyday speech.)
|
fully (Focuses on being complete or total, without the slight flavor of luxury that "richly" can have.)
|
thoroughly (Emphasizes completeness; not always interchangeable, but similar when describing how deserved something is.)
Antonyms
barely (Suggests only just enough, the opposite of having a lot or more than enough.)
|
scarcely (Means almost not at all, contrasting with the sense of plenty in "richly.")
Collocations
richly deserved
|richly rewarded
|richly varied
|richly ironic
|richly comic
|richly satisfying
Themes
evaluation
|emotions
|work
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- After years of hard work, her success is richly deserved.
- Investors were richly rewarded when the company doubled in value.
- The country offers a richly varied landscape, from mountains to beaches.
- His latest book is richly comic yet deeply humane.
- The ending was richly satisfying after such a long story.
Learner examples
- Their victory was richly deserved after so much practice.
- She was richly rewarded for her good work.
- The show is richly funny and also very smart.
- The city is richly varied, with many different areas.
- My time there was richly satisfying.
Grammar
Dictionary form
richly
IPA
GB/ɹˈɪt͡ʃli/
US/ɹˈɪt͡ʃli/
Syllables & stress
richly (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (richly)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: richly
- Plural: richlies
Word family
Forms
richlies
noun
Core family
rich
adjective A2
richness
noun
Related words
enrich
verb B2
enrichment
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
poor
adjective A2
Expressions
richly deserved
1/ɹˈɪt͡ʃli dɪzˈɚvd/
fixed phrase
completely and fairly earned
Used to say that a good or bad result is completely fair because of what someone did.
Examples
- The punishment was harsh but richly deserved.
- Her promotion was richly deserved after years of excellent work.
richly rewarded
1/ɹˈɪt͡ʃli ɹɪwˈɔɹdɪd/
fixed phrase
given a large or full reward
Used to say that someone gets a lot in return for their effort, risk, or good action, often in a very satisfying way.
Examples
- Investors who believed in the project were richly rewarded.
- You will be richly rewarded if you keep working this hard.