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

This is part of UPS’ ongoing shift toward more profitable business. —Reuters wire Service, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026

As mortgage loan application volumes dried up after the pandemic and the easy refinance era ended, lenders like PennyMac have struggled to replace that business with profitable new originations. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026

That’s reported as QTL revenues, which are significantly more profitable than hardware sales. —Kif Leswing, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026

The request came as part of a new business model aimed at making the playhouse more profitable. —Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 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