lucrative

adjective

lu·​cra·​tive ˈlü-krə-tiv How to pronounce lucrative (audio)
: producing wealth : profitable
lucratively adverb
lucrativeness noun

Did you know?

Paying, gainful, remunerative, and lucrative share the meaning of bringing in a return of money, but each term casts a different light on how much green you take in. Paying is the word for jobs that yield the smallest potatoes—your first paying job probably provided satisfactory compensation, but you weren't going to get rich by it. Gainful employment might offer a bit more cash, and gainful certainly suggests that an individual is motivated by a desire for gain. Remunerative implies that a job provides more than the usual rewards, but a lucrative position is the one you want—those are the kind that go beyond your initial hopes or expectations.

Examples of lucrative in a Sentence

Their success has given Gladwell an active, and extremely lucrative, second career as a public speaker. Much in demand, he is paid in the neighborhood of $40,000 per lecture. Rachel Donadio, New York Times Book Review, 5 Feb. 2006
Clubs take care of their star and other best players first, paying them lucrative salaries. By the time they get to the bottom half of the roster, they would not have enough money left to pay veterans worthwhile salaries … Murray Chass, New York Times, 16 Aug. 1994
Since the health care industry is lucrative and largely insulated from the usual disciplines of the marketplace, it has been able to absorb an ever-growing fraction of the gross domestic product. Marcia Angell, New England Journal of Medicine, 17 June 1993
The learned profession of the law was certainly not behind any other learned profession in its Bacchanalian propensities; neither was Mr. Stryver, already fast shouldering his way to a large and lucrative practice, behind his compeers in this particular, any more than in the drier parts of the legal race. Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859
The business has proved to be highly lucrative. the new manager's mission was to turn the failing store into a lucrative operation See More
Recent Examples on the Web But during emo’s most lucrative years, dodging the emo label wasn’t about being perceived as a punk with an asterisk. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023 Joe Burbank—Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service/Getty Images Disney’s plans to nearly double spending in its lucrative line of resorts, cruise ships and hotels over the next ten years comes with an important message to investors. Bychristiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2023 The cuts, which drove prices up by restricting supply, have already been lucrative for the world’s major oil producers, known collectively as OPEC Plus. Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023 Without adjusting for inflation, the film is Nolan’s most lucrative global release since 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, which surpassed the global $1 billion threshold. Michael Lee Simpson, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2023 But that likely has more to do with what's built here, the popular and lucrative Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator, vehicles that could soon be in short supply on dealer lots. CBS News, 17 Sep. 2023 The Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden signed into law in August 2022, includes a wide range of lucrative incentives to encourage domestic manufacturing and speed the nation’s transition away from fossil fuels. Jim Tankersley, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023 But this will be the most lucrative offer and will require a lot of belt tightening at the company. Abc News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2023 The mega-deal Kendrick scored made for a very lucrative homecoming. Brent Lang, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lucrative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lucratif, from Middle French, from Latin lucrativus, from lucratus, past participle of lucrari to gain, from lucrum

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lucrative was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near lucrative

Cite this Entry

“Lucrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lucrative. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

lucrative

adjective
lu·​cra·​tive ˈlü-krət-iv How to pronounce lucrative (audio)
: producing wealth : profitable
lucratively adverb
lucrativeness noun

Legal Definition

lucrative

adjective
lu·​cra·​tive ˈlü-krə-tiv How to pronounce lucrative (audio)
1
: producing wealth or profit
2
: acquired, received, or had without burdensome conditions or giving of consideration
lucratively adverb
lucrativeness noun

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