successful
adjective
suc·cess·ful
sək-ˈses-fəl 
1
: resulting or terminating in success
a successful attempt
2
: gaining or having gained success
a successful investor
successfulness
noun
Examples of successful in a Sentence
the play had a successful run on Broadway
sold their successful dry-cleaning business and retired to Hawaii
Recent Examples on the Web
The two other successful movies of the summer of 1976 were That’s Entertainment, Part 2, a movie composed of snippets from lots of old movies, and All the President’s Men.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
Krasinski also has the least interesting yet very successful Hollywood career imaginable, but that doesn’t mean he should be exiled or worse.
—Choire Sicha, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
If successful, Proposition 50 would ditch a nonpartisan commission California voters established via a 2010 ballot initiative that draws those district boundaries.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The White House’s efforts to centralize federal grantmaking, restrict free speech, erase public data and expand surveillance mirror China’s successful playbook for building scientific capacity while suppressing dissent.
—Kenneth M. Evans, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for successful
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Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
Krasinski also has the least interesting yet very successful Hollywood career imaginable, but that doesn’t mean he should be exiled or worse.
—Choire Sicha, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
If successful, Proposition 50 would ditch a nonpartisan commission California voters established via a 2010 ballot initiative that draws those district boundaries.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The White House’s efforts to centralize federal grantmaking, restrict free speech, erase public data and expand surveillance mirror China’s successful playbook for building scientific capacity while suppressing dissent.
—Kenneth M. Evans, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for successful
Cite this Entry
“Successful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successful. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
successful
adjective
suc·cess·ful
sək-ˈses-fəl
1
: resulting or ending in success
2
: gaining or having gained success
successfulness
noun
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