silver spoon

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silver spoon

He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Definition

Noun: 1. A symbol of inherited wealth and privilege: The phrase "a silver spoon" refers to the advantages, financial security, and high social status a person is born into, not earned through their own efforts. It implies a life of ease and opportunity provided by family wealth.

Usage

The term is almost exclusively used in the idiom "to be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth." It describes a person whose family is very wealthy and who has enjoyed the benefits of that wealth since birth.

Examples
  • He never had to worry about student loans; he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
  • The politician, despite claiming to understand the common worker, was born with a silver spoon.
  • She inherited the company and a vast fortune; hers is a classic silver spoon story.
Advanced Usage / Nuances
  • The term often carries a connotation of being out of touch with the financial struggles of ordinary people. It can be used critically or neutrally, depending on context.
  • It specifically refers to wealth ("old money"), not wealth recently acquired.
Variants and Related Words
  • Old money (noun): Wealth that has been inherited over several generations, associated with established upper-class families. This is a close synonym for the condition described by "a silver spoon."
  • Trust fund baby (noun, informal): A person, typically a young adult, living on income from a trust fund established by a wealthy family. This is a more modern and sometimes more critical synonym.
  • Privilege (noun): A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. "Silver spoon" is a specific type of socioeconomic privilege.
Synonyms
  • Affluence (by birth)
  • Patrimony
  • Hereditary wealth
Antonyms
  • Self-made
  • Rags to riches
  • Humble beginnings
Related Idioms
  • To be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth: This is the primary and defining idiom for the term.
  • To be born on third base and think you hit a triple: (Idiom, chiefly US) A critical idiom meaning to be born into privilege but to believe one's success is entirely due to one's own merit. This is a more pointed critique than "silver spoon."
silver spoon

He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Noun
  1. the inherited wealth of established upper-class families
    • he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth
    • she is the daughter of old money from Massachusetts

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