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

successfully

sək-ˈses-fə-lē 

adverb

successfulness noun

Synonyms of successful

• prosperous
• thriving

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

Bryan has a history of successful collaborations, from Bruce Springsteen to Kacey Musgraves. — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026

Gomelsky described the victim as a highly successful student from Vietnam. — Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026

The coaches Dream coach Karl Smesko is in his second season, after a successful tenure at Florida Gulf Coast from 2002-24. — Rod Beard, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026

The team had to balance weight and waterproofing as well as figure out successful take off and landing in water, which reflects light and challenges the sensors used in most consumer drones to gauge distance from the ground. — Max Cea, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for successful

• distressful
• stressful
• unsuccessful

Kids Definition

successful

adjective

suc·​cess·​ful sək-ˈses-fəl 

1

: resulting or ending in success

2

: gaining or having gained success

successfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

successfulness noun