GAINFUL Synonyms: 19 Similar and Opposite Words

gainful

adjective

ˈgān-fəl

Definition of gainful

as in lucrative

yielding a profit graduated from school and went looking for gainful employment

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of gainful But in a bleak youth job market, there’s a growing recognition that crossing the graduation stage is not always enough to put young people on a path to gainful employment. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026 The goal is to prepare these students for their future jobs by developing the skills needed to find gainful employment. — Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 28 Dec. 2025 Where do alien nerds find gainful employ? — Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025 At her age, being prickly was neither enchanting nor gainful. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for gainful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gainful

Adjective

Arrangements with Chinese customers can be more lucrative upfront, as neoclouds and financing firms look to hedge against a potential future ban of remote access agreements.

— Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
So far, however, such incidents haven’t significantly affected SpaceX’s ability to ink lucrative government launch contracts, and federal agencies have found SpaceX to be the best option in terms of capability and price, Weinzierl says.

— Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of lucrative

Adjective

The company’s profitable services business grew less than 10% during the September quarter, the slowest expansion since 2022.

— Kif Leswing, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
Meanwhile, as hip-house took hold Stateside, those who had licked a new sonic language weren’t going to sit a profitable wave out.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of profitable

Adjective

The article also describes voters who blame higher prices and gas costs on the administration, while supporters characterize those costs as temporary or a worthwhile trade-off.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
Some optimization problems may benefit during the late 2020s or 2030s, while others may never offer a worthwhile quantum advantage.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of worthwhile

Browse Nearby Words

gainers

gainful

gain ground

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Style

“Gainful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gainful. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of gainful

adjective

Example Sentences

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