Prepositional phrase of means (of a person) Possessing significant wealth, especially as suggesting social standing. 1896, H. G. Wells, chapter 29, in The Wheels of Chance:He seemed a person of means and leisure, but he knew nothing of recent concerts, theatres, or books. 1915, Anna Katharine Green, The Golden Slipper, Problem 7: The reward offered by Mrs. Hasbrouck for the detection of the murderer was a very large one. She is a woman of means. 2007 August 5, Richard Corliss, “When Antonioni Blew Up the Movies”, in Time:Rich and pretty, he shows how meaningless it is to be a man of means. He in incapacitated by wealth, status and the availability of sex with good-looking people. Synonyms affluent, prosperous, wealthy, well off, well-to-do Derived terms man of means woman of means