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100% GOOD (3 votes)DijawabLanguage Question
"Are you better off" : what does it mean?

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Lollzayy profile picture LollzayyJuly 2019
So the phrase can also be phrased as: “Will you benefit from...” so it tries to express what situation is best for you. For example if someone was sick I could ask “Are you better off staying at home”
Tace profile picture TaceJuly 2019
The phrase asks you to compare two or more situations and determine which would be in your best interest.
Doval profile picture DovalJuly 2019

I’m convinced that there are far smarter people in this world than myself, so I apply the phrase “trust but verify” to my own thoughts and ideas. Figured I'd be better off seeing what the experts say.

Here's what the brilliant folks who made the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary say:

Better off:

in a more satisfactory situation than you were before: I know you’re unhappy that the relationship ended, but you’re better off without him. ​

Better off also means having more money and a better level of comfort in your life than you had before, or than someone else has: People in this country are far better off than they were ten years ago.

  • Tace profile picture TaceAugust 2019
    This is why I mentioned comparing two or more situations and choosing what is in your best interest; because being "better off" means more than just something benefiting you. It is the comparison of two or more options. Those two options could be the situation you are in now versus another situation, or two possible new options being presented, one of THOSE two might be better for you, and which of those two would make you better off.
voltron profile picture voltronJuly 2019
Basically it is asking if life has improved. For examples during elections you will hear politicians use the term. Implying that under the current leaders your life has not improved.