Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Better Off |
Better OffAdjective1. In a more fortunate or prosperous condition; "she would have been better off if she had stuck with teaching"; "is better off than his classmate". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Synonym: Better OffSynonym: better off(p) (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Improvement | Adjective: improving; Verb: progressive, improved; Verb: better, better off, better for; all the better for; better advised. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Better Off |
| Specialty definitions using "better off": Better kind Friend, etc ♦ macdink ♦ Railroad ♦ Use the Source Luke, UTSL. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | We would be better off working together. (Moonraker; writing credit: Christopher Wood) Hell, poor bastard's better off dead. (Hot Shots!; writing credit: Jim Abrahams; Pat Proft) I'm sure it comes as no great suprise to you when I say that there are little corners in everyone which were better off left alone; sicknesses, weaknesses, which-which should never be exposed. (Klute; writing credit: Andy Lewis; Dave Lewis) You know, you'd be better off crying. (Holy Smoke; writing credit: Anna Campion; Jane Campion) I think we'd be all better off if each country had it's own planet. (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge) | |
Lyrics | Do you think you're better off alone? (Better Off Alone; performing artist: Alice Deejay) But you're better off as friends (How Much I Feel; performing artist: Ambrosia) I don't need nobody, better off alone (Stronger; performing artist: Britney Spears) We were better off as friends, (Look Away; performing artist: Chicago) That I'm better off without you (Without You; performing artist: Dixie Chicks) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Better Off Dead (1993) A Site Better Off (1989) Better Off Dead... (1985) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Theater & Movies | |
Music |
|
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | WPA (Works Progress/Work Projects Administration) worker and his wife sitting in front of their shack home on the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. This man said that last year he thought maybe he would be a little better off when he got the WP. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Everyone everywhere is better off today!. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Everyone is better off today : vote Labour again. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Britain was better off with the Conservatives. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | This family pays too much income tax : Britain would be better off with the Conservatives. Credit: Library of Congress. | ||
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Seneca | See how many are better off than you are, but consider how many are worse. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | Beside being better off than they already, if my house had been burned or my crops had failed, I should have been nearly as well off as before. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Economic History | North Korea | By most economic measures, after partition the North was better off in terms of industry and natural resources. (references) |
Ukraine | Western companies are better off dealing directly with large Ukrainian wholesalers, and avoiding middlemen and intermediaries. (references) | |
Iran | Farmers and peasants received a psychological boost from the attention given them by the Islamic regime but appear to be hardly better off in economic terms. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | RAILROAD, n. The chief of many mechanical devices enabling us to get away from where we are to wher we are no better off. For this purpose the railroad is held in highest favor by the optimist, for it permits him to make the transit with great expedition. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Jodie Foster | I wouldn't know. I think you're better off being loved. I think loving your kids is the most important thing. And it's the quality of that love, it's not the quantity and the amount of people that are doing it. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Expressions using "better off": be better off ♦ To be better off. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
better off dead | 157 |
better off alone | 47 |
better off dead movie | 21 |
better off dead lyrics | 8 |
mama might be better off dead | 4 |
better off dead dvd | 3 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "better off"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | jam në gjendje më të mirë (be better off). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | من الأثرياء, أغنى. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | забогатявам (enrich, fatten, feather one's nest, grow rich, rise to affluence, thrive). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | bohatší. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | riche, aisé. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | es geht ihnen besser als uns (they are better off than we). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | πλουσιότεροσ. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | עשיר יותר. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | jómódú (to be well off, wealthy, well doing, well heeled, well to do, well-off, well-to-do). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | in condizioni finanziarie migliori. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | etterbay offay mai bogat. (various references) быть богаче (be better off). (various references) ućariti. (various references) más rico. (various references) bli rikare. (various references) daha zengin, daha varlıklı. (various references) бути в кращому становищі (be better off). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Date | Source | Lamentations Chapter 4, Verse 9 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kaloi hsan oi traumatiai romfaiaV h oi traumatiai limou eporeuqhsan ekkekenthmenoi apo genhmatwn agrwn |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | TETH melius fuit occisis gladio quam interfectis fame quoniam isti extabuerunt consumpti ab sterilitate terrae |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | Teth. Betere was to the slayn men with swerd, than to the slayn men with hungir; for thei anoen ben dead, these ful out faileden, ben towastid of the bareynesse of the erthe. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | They that are slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | Those who have been put to the sword are better off than those whose death is caused by need of food; for these come to death slowly, burned up like the fruit of the field. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Lamentations Chapter 4, Verse 9 |
| Cebuano | Kadtong gipamatay pinaagi sa pinuti labing maayo kay niadtong nangamatay sa gutom: Kay kini nagakahunos daw gilagbasan, tungod sa kawalad-on sa mga bunga sa uma. |
| Chinese | " 死 的 、 不 如 被 刀 殺 的 、 為 這 是 缺 了 " " 的 土 " 、 就 身 " 衰 弱 、 漸 漸 消 滅 。 |
| Croatian | Kako su sretni oni što ih maè probode, sretniji od onih koje pomori glad; koji padaju, iscrpljeni, jer im nedostaju plodovi zemljini. |
| Danish | Sværdets Ofre var bedre farne end Sultens, som svandt hen, dødsramte, af Mangel på Markens Grøde. |
| Dutch | Teth. De verslagenen van het zwaard zijn gelukkiger dan de verslagenen van den honger; want die vlieten daarhenen, als doorstoken zijnde, omdat er geen vruchten der velden zijn. |
| Finnish | Parempi oli miekan kaatamien kuin nälän kaatamien, jotka menehtyivät, kuin lävitsepistetyt, pellon viljaa vailla. |
| French | Ceux qui périssent par l`épée sont plus heureux Que ceux qui périssent par la faim, Qui tombent exténués, Privés du fruit des champs. |
| German | Den Erwürgten durchs Schwert geschah besser als denen, so da Hungers starben, die verschmachteten und umgebracht wurden vom Mangel der Früchte des Ackers. |
| Haitian Creole | Moun ki mouri nan lagè pi bon pase moun ki mouri grangou. Y'ap depafini jouk yo mouri. Yo pa jwenn anyen pou yo manje. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Mereka sengsara dan mati perlahan-lahan, karena sama sekali tak punya makanan; yang mati di medan pertempuran, lebih beruntung dari yang mati kelaparan. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Untunglah orang yang mati dimakan pedang dari pada orang yang mati sebab lapar; karena orang ini makin lama makin surut seperti orang yang tertikam, sebab tanahnya tiada lagi berhasil. |
| Maori | Ko te hunga i patua e te hoari, pai ake to ratou i to te hunga i patua e te hemokai; no te mea ka honia noatia enei, ka werohia, he kore hoki no nga hua o te mara. |
| Norwegian | Lykkeligere var de som blev drept ved sverd, enn de som blev drept ved hunger, de som tærtes bort og gikk til grunne av mangel på brød. |
| Portuguese | Os mortos espada eram mais ditosos do que os mortos fome, pois estes se esgotavam, como traspassados, por falta dos frutos dos campos. |
| Rumanian | Ceice pier uciwi de sabie sknt mai fericiyi deckt ceice pier de foame, cari cad sleiyi de puteri, din lipsa roadelor ckmpului! |
| Russian | хНЕТЭЧМСЕНЩЕ НЕЮПН УЮБУФМЙЧЕЕ ХНЕТЭЧМСЕНЩИ ЗПМП"ПН, ПФПНХ ЮФП УЙЙ ЙУФБЕЧБАФ, ПТБЦБЕНЩЕ ОЕ"ПУФБФЛПН МП"ПЧ ПМЕЧЩИ. |
| Spanish | Más afortunados fueron los muertos por la espada que los muertos por el hambre. Porque éstos murieron poco a poco, atravesados por falta de los productos del campo. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "b-e-e-f-f-o-r-t-t" | |
-3 letters: before, befret, bereft, better, bettor, effort, fetter, toffee. | |
-4 letters: beret, fetor, forte, offer, ofter, otter, rotte, torte, toter. | |
-5 letters: beef, beer, beet, boff, bore, bort, bott, bree, feet, fere, fete, forb, fore, fort, free, fret, froe, reef, reft, rete, robe, rote, teff, toff, toft, tore, tort, tote, tree, tref, tret, trot. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Familiar 8. Quotations: Fiction | 9. Quotations: Non-fiction 10. Quotations: Spoken 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Bible Trace 15. Anagrams 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
