well-endowed

IPA/ˌwel ɪnˈdaʊd/
IPA/ˌwel ɪnˈdaʊd/

well-endowed — adjective

1. If a person, family, institution, or area is well-endowed, it has more money, pr

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

If a person, family, institution, or area is well-endowed, it has more money, property, or other valuable resources than most others.

Example

The well-endowed college offered free housing to every first-year student.

well-endowed + institution with strong funding

James grew up in a well-endowed family with houses in three countries.

well-endowed + family

Common collocations
  • well-endowed school
  • well-endowed university
  • well-endowed family
  • well-endowed charity
  • well-endowed museum
Synonyms
  • wealthy

    common for people and families; a little less natural for institutions

  • affluent

    more formal and often used for communities or social groups

  • well-off

    more conversational and usually used for people, not organizations

  • resource-rich

    focuses on abundant assets or funding, especially for places or institutions

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be well-endowed

well-endowed + noun

be well-endowed with + noun

Usage Note

Often used for universities, charities, museums, or families that already have strong financial support. In everyday conversation about ordinary people, rich or well-off is usually more common.

Common Mistakes

The school is well-endowed with teachers.
The school is well-staffed.
this sense usually refers to money, property, or other valuable resources, not simply having many people.
The apartment is well-endowed because it has a large TV.
The apartment is well-equipped because it has a large TV.
one useful item does not make something well-endowed; the word suggests substantial resources.

2. If someone is well-endowed, they have unusually large sexual body features, such

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

If someone is well-endowed, they have unusually large sexual body features, such as a large bust or large genitals.

Example

The swimwear shop kept extra-support tops for well-endowed customers like Emily.

well-endowed + customers needing extra support

Ishaan felt awkward in the locker room because he was more well-endowed than his teammates.

more well-endowed than + comparison

Common collocations
  • well-endowed woman
  • well-endowed man
  • well-endowed body
  • well-endowed customer
Synonyms
  • amply endowed

    similar euphemistic tone, but sounds a little more literary

  • busty

    informal and women-only; names the female side of this sense directly

  • large-breasted

    more factual and women-only; common in descriptive or medical contexts

Grammar Patterns

be well-endowed

well-endowed + noun

more well-endowed than + noun phrase

Usage Note

This sense is a polite or joking way to mention large breasts or large genitals. It is usually used about adults and can easily sound rude if the person did not choose the description.

Common Mistakes

The boxer is well-endowed, with broad shoulders.
The boxer is well-built, with broad shoulders.
in this sense, well-endowed is about breast or genital size, not general strength.
The school is well-endowed, with two new science labs.
The school is well-endowed with money for two new science labs.
without body context, that sentence belongs to the financial sense, not this one.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words suggest having plenty of money, but they differ in scope and tone. Well-endowed is the least everyday of the group and often fits institutions, charities, museums, or families that have strong financial backing or valuable assets. Wealthy is the broadest neutral choice for rich people and families. Well-off is more conversational and usually describes people who live comfortably rather than extremely rich organizations. Affluent is the most formal and often appears in writing about districts, communities, or social classes. A university with a large investment fund can be well-endowed, while a couple with a comfortable house and regular holidays are more naturally called well-off. When the focus is stable social position, affluent or wealthy usually sounds better than well-endowed.

well-endowed ↗wealthy ↗well-off ↗affluent ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be well-endowed

Etymology

LatinAnglo-FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Well-endowed is built from well and the past participle endowed. Endow entered English through Anglo-French and goes back to Latin dotare, meaning to provide someone with a gift, dowry, or other support. The older use of well-endowed described a person or institution that had been given money, land, or other resources. Later, English extended the phrase euphemistically to the body, especially to unusually large breasts or genitals.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1