profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results

profitability

ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

profitableness

ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl-nəs 

noun

profitably

ˈprä-fə-tə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• economic
• fat
• gainful
• juicy
• lucrative
• moneymaking
• money-spinning [chiefly British]
• paying
• remunerative

Examples of profitable in a Sentence

The movie was very profitable.

selling real estate on the side turned out to be a profitable venture for the stay-at-home mom

Recent Examples on the Web

Boeing, with its essential role in American aerospace dominance and global commercial aviation, represents the perfect storm of characteristics that make TACO trades profitable. —Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025

Musk's SpaceX has spent years positioning itself at the center of American civil and military spaceflight – a profitable relationship that has made the company's CEO incredibly wealthy. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 7 June 2025

The result is that data breaches are likely to continue as long as there is demand for illicit, profitable data. —Thomas Holt, The Conversation, 5 June 2025

By comparison, fishing and crabbing are less profitable these days. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 5 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for profitable

• unprofitable

Kids Definition

profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl 

ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: producing profit

profitably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results

profitability

ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

profitableness noun

profitably adverb