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

Relevance

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 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 Schools that do not meet gainful employment expectations risk losing access to federal funding. — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 2 June 2025 Or workers could simply have given up on Martinsville and moved elsewhere in search of gainful employment. — Gordon H. Hanson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021 See All Example Sentences for gainful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gainful

Adjective

However, the sole-source paradigm proved lucrative for ULA’s corporate parents, which each reported hundreds of millions of dollars in earnings from ULA per year in the first decade of the company’s existence.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
At present, experts said, most of the Indian companies are either investing in setting up downstream assembly and testing facilities or making batteries for mobility, which are more lucrative given the government subsidies.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of lucrative

Adjective

And just like paying $6 a gallon for gas on a California road trip, or $43 for a martini at Bemelman’s Bar in Manhattan, having a lobster roll in Boston is a worthwhile investment every once in a while.

— Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026
And this opportunity, particularly for women in both tennis and other sports where there is a broad gender pay disparity, is worthwhile.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of worthwhile

Browse Nearby Words

gainers

gainful

gain ground

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“Gainful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gainful. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of gainful

adjective

Example Sentences

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