Meaning of the word enrich

: to make rich or richer especially by the addition or increase of some desirable quality, attribute, or ingredient

: such as

a

: to add beauty to : adorn

b

: to enhance the taste of

c

: to make (a soil) more fertile

d

: to improve the nutritive value of (a food) by adding nutrients (such as vitamins or amino acids) and especially by restoring part of the nutrients lost in processing

e

: to process so as to add or increase the proportion of a desirable ingredient

They tried to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor.

How can I enrich my vocabulary?

He used manure to enrich the soil.

The drink is enriched with vitamin C.

Recent Examples on the Web

His work, particularly The Phenomenology of Perception (1945), was dedicated to enriching the idea of the body, such that it could be said both to perceive and to think.


—Ailsa Ross, Longreads, 4 Apr. 2023




Saudi officials have refused to commit to the restrictions, which would undermine their goal of enriching and selling uranium.


—Kate Kelly, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2023




Weapons-grade uranium is 90% enriched, which would be enough for a nuclear bomb.


—Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 22 Mar. 2023




To become involved: Send feedback, ideas and suggestions to sfnext@SFChronicle.com With everyone stuck at home, screen time shot up, enriching the already rich tech giants and powering some of the biggest hiring sprees in modern history.


—Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Mar. 2023




Thank you for enriching my life beyond the scope of imagination.


—Adrianna C. Freedman, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2023




State authorities won $14 million in civil judgments against two of its top leaders for enriching themselves instead of paying the medical bills of its members.


—J. David Mcswane, ProPublica, 9 Mar. 2023




The railroads continue to enrich their executives at the expense of public safety and public health and lay off workers and compromise on safety.


—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2023




Or make the important decision to enrich the lives of your children and enroll today.


—Dallas News, 28 Feb. 2023


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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘enrich.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enrichir, enricher, from en- + riche rich

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of enrich was
in the 14th century

Other forms: enriched; enriching; enriches

To enrich something is to make it richer, or to improve the quality of it. You play the lottery because it might enrich your bank account; you play ping-pong to enrich your quality of life.

Regardless of the sense it is used in, the key to enrich is the word rich (you can almost think of it as the verb form of the adjective). So to enrich something is to make it rich, richer, or just plain better. Enrich always needs an object: You can’t visit a wax museum just to enrich, but you can go to enrich your life. Verbs that enrich include improve, enhance, cultivate, better, and develop.

Definitions of enrich

1. verb

   make better or improve in quality

   “The experience
   enriched her understanding”

   “enriched foods”

2. verb

   make wealthy or richer

   “the oil boom
   enriched a lot of local people”

   see moresee less

   Antonyms:

   impoverish

   make poor

   types:

   feather one’s nest

   enrich oneself by taking advantage of one’s position

   type of:

   add

   make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of