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

• lucrative
• worthwhile

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

Despite the defeats, his investment in Cracker Barrel has been extraordinarily profitable. —Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025

According to Stefan Sosnowski, PhD, chair of information technology control at TUM, waste disposal using autonomous underwater waste collection becomes profitable at depths of 52 feet (16 meters) or more. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025

This would be less profitable than selling the artifact itself, said Tsirogiannis, but would reduce the risk of it being identified. —Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025

Critics claim that highly profitable Hollywood studios shouldn’t need subsidies and have requested a review of the incentives. —Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 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