profitable

1 of 2

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

profitability

2 of 2

noun

prof·​it·​abil·​i·​ty ˌpräfə̇təˈbilətē 

: the quality or state of being profitable

getting things done that contribute to the profitability of the company

—G. B. Hurff

Synonyms of profitable

Adjective

• lucrative
• worthwhile

Examples of profitable in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Customer lifetime value goes up, your acquisition strategy becomes more profitable, and the highlight reel moments become worth celebrating. — Rhodes Kriske, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Baseball is a highly profitable industry, small market teams are bringing in enormous sums of money, and many owners are choosing to pocket it instead of reinvesting in their rosters. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Rising interest rates are putting pressure on the company, which isn’t profitable. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Though Netflix is profitable, analysts say the company hasn’t produced enough hits and are skeptical of its plans to grow its subscriber base. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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