profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results

profitability

ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

profitableness

ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl-nəs 

noun

profitably

ˈprä-fə-tə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms of profitable

• lucrative
• worthwhile

Examples of profitable in a Sentence

The movie was very profitable.

selling real estate on the side turned out to be a profitable venture for the stay-at-home mom

Recent Examples on the Web

But raising hogs was physically demanding work and became less profitable for the family over time, Faaborg said. — Rachel Cramer, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026

But war debts, inflation and a temporary stop to profitable trade with the enormous British Empire left Americans scrambling to get by in the 1780s. — Sandra Slater, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026

Produced for just $10 million, the surprise horror hit has become A24‘s highest-grossing release of all time as well as one of the most profitable movies of the year. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026

Not as lucrative, but still making for a profitable day of shopping, the Fantasy 5 evening draw jackpot was $120,607. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for profitable

• unprofitable

Kids Definition

profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl 

ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: producing profit

profitably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results

profitability

ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

profitableness noun

profitably adverb