Rags to Riches | Meaning & Examples

Rags to riches is an idiom that means “from financially poor to wealthy.” Someone who wins the lottery or hits the jackpot at a casino can be described as having gone from rags to riches. The phrase “rags-to-riches” can also be used as an adjective (e.g., “a rags-to-riches story”).

Examples: Rags to riches in a sentence
I went from rags to riches because of my hard work and determination.

She is well-known because she went from rags to riches seemingly overnight.

Nathaniel loves to watch movies with a rags-to-riches storyline.

Rags to riches meaning and usage

“Rags to riches” is an idiom that describes someone as having gone from poverty to prosperity. It can also refer to transitioning from being unknown to being famous (e.g., “Katrina went from rags to riches overnight when she published her book”).

“Rags to riches” is sometimes used more loosely to describe a situation where someone or something went from being in an unfavorable situation to a more favorable one. For example, a kitten adopted from an animal shelter can also be described as having gone from rags to riches.

The phrase “rags to riches” is typically used with a verb and the word “from” (e.g., “Mario went from rags to riches”). However, it can also be preceded by the word “of” (e.g., “She wrote a story of rags to riches”).

Examples: Rags to riches in a sentence
The rescued chimp went from rags to riches when he was moved to a sanctuary.

It may sound crazy, but I’m in the process of going from rags to riches.

Her success was a modern-day example of rags to riches.

Additionally, “rags to riches” can function as an adjective. When used in this sense, the phrase is typically spelled using hyphens (e.g., “rags-to-riches song”).

Examples: Rags-to-riches as an adjective
Our favorite topic to talk about is rag-to-riches artists.

The rags-to-riches genre is popular in books, movies, and songs.

Everyone I know is hoping for a rags-to-riches experience.

Examples of rags to riches stories

Plenty of rags-to-riches stories can be found in movies, books, and TV shows, but many real people throughout history and in the modern day have also gone from rags to riches.

Rags to riches stories
In a movie In Slumdog Millionaire, a young man originally from the slums of India becomes instantly wealthy after answering all the questions correctly on a TV show and winning a large sum of money.
Throughout history Before becoming the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln experienced poverty during his childhood.
During modern times J.K. Rowling is a British author who experienced many hardships in her life, including financial difficulties, before writing the immensely popular Harry Potter series.

Rags to riches synonyms

There are a few other phrases that have similar meanings to “rags to riches” (or “from rags to riches”). However, using them may require changing the sentence structure.

Synonyms Examples
Cinderella story He has a remarkable Cinderella story.
From poverty to prosperity Daniel went from poverty to prosperity.
From zero to hero Xavier went from zero to hero after graduating.

Frequently asked questions about rags to riches

What does riches to rags mean?

“Riches to rags” is a less popular version of the idiomrags to riches.” It typically describes a situation in which someone transitions from being financially wealthy to being poor or disadvantaged, but it can also refer to any situation where one goes from being fortunate to being unfortunate (e.g., “The poor lad went from riches to rags”).

You can use QuillBot to paraphrase online and easily express your intended meaning.

What is a rags to riches story?

A “rags-to-riches” story tells of someone or something that went from poor to rich, or from an unfavorable situation to a favorable one. For example, if someone invents something and makes a lot of money from it, that would be considered a “rags-to-riches” story.

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Gina Rancaño, BA

Gina holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, as well as a certificate in professional and public writing from Florida International University. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading.