first world problem

or First World problem

noun

, Slang: Usually Facetious.

1. a fairly minor problem, frustrating situation, or complaint associated with a relatively high standard of living, as opposed to the more serious problems associated with poverty:

   I’m bored with all my electronic gadgets—such a first world problem!

Word History and Origins

Origin of first world problem¹

1995–2000; with reference to the First World , the wealthiest countries in the world

Example Sentences

"It's the biggest first world problem you're ever going to get. You should look at that as an opportunity, not as a problem."

From BBC

Endocrinologist Chitra Selvan says doctors are "not well trained in the art of communication" and when you speak of fat shaming, many think "it's a first world problem".

From BBC

Some dismiss aging as a “first world problem,” for the world’s richest to figure out in countries dotted across Asia, Nordic regions and the West, not African lands where life expectancies have the average person living into just their 50s.

From Seattle Times

“It’s kind of a First World problem — you get $75,000 for pressing a button instead of maybe $150,000 for pressing a button,” said Babu Srinivasan, who won the former amount over five games in 2001.

From Washington Post

“It may sound like a First World problem, but this is about more than Netflix. This was about sustainability. This was about the future,” Begley told me.

From Slate