View synonyms for life of Riley

life of Riley

noun

, Informal.

a carefree, comfortable, and thoroughly enjoyable way of living:
Since winning the lottery, he's led the life of Riley.

life of Riley

A life of luxury: “Sheila found herself living the life of Riley after she won the lottery.” The expression comes from a popular song of the 1880s, “Is That Mr. Reilly?”, in which the title character describes what he would do if he suddenly became wealthy.

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of life of Riley¹

First recorded in 1920–25; perhaps after the Reilly mentioned in various songs popular around 1900, as “The Best of the House Is None Too Good for Reilly”

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Also, life of Reilly . An easy life, as in Peter had enough money to take off the rest of the year and live the life of Riley . This phrase originated in a popular song of the 1880s, “Is That Mr. Reilly?” by Pat Rooney, which described what its hero would do if he suddenly came into a fortune.

Word of the Day

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Browse