embarrassment of riches

English - English

Definition of embarrassment of riches in English English dictionary

An abundance or overabundance of something; too much of a good thing

What might be an embarrassment of riches—a city with three independent and artistically distinct opera companies—may become a lose-lose-lose situation.

An embarrassment of riches is an idiom that means an overabundance of something, or too much of a good thing, that originated in 1738 as John Ozell's translation of a French play, L'Embarras des richesses (1726). Example: "All four of them have their own cars but there's no room in the driveway--an embarrassment of riches"

Hyphenation

em·bar·rass·ment of rich·es

Turkish pronunciation

îmberısmınt ıv rîçız

Pronunciation

/əmˈberəsmənt əv ˈrəʧəz/ /ɪmˈbɛrəsmənt əv ˈrɪʧəz/

Etymology

() From John Ozell's 1738 translation of a French play, L'Embarras des richesses (1726) by Léonor Jean Christine Soulas d'Allainval.

Videos

... there's an embarrassment of riches out there. ...