Highlife

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A way of living that emphasizes luxury, social prestige, and lavish enjoyment typically linked to affluent individuals or communities
2. An era or condition that showcases vibrant prosperity, social relevance, and extravagant festivities often enjoyed by the elite
3. A lifestyle characterized by opulence, social status, and indulgent pleasures typically associated with wealthy circles or societies

Etymology: "Highlife" is a plain compound of "high" and "life," with no foreign borrowing or hidden history behind it. Its sense of wealthy, luxurious living comes straight from the metaphor already in its parts: "high" in the sense of elevated rank or station, and "life" in the sense of a way of living. A person who lives "high" is one who lives at an elevated social level, indulging in comforts and display that ordinary people cannot afford. The compound is the kind of transparent formation English has long produced freely, so its meaning is largely built into the two words themselves. Its use as a noun names that lifestyle as a whole rather than any single act of spending.

Synonyms: luxury, opulence, extravagance, affluence, wealth

Antonyms: poverty, destitution, indigence, squalor, privation