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

• 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

During the 1930s, the John Day Company found novels about China to be immensely profitable—but interest in such books had fallen since World War II, and the publisher urgently needed to make money. —H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 26 July 2025

While Rocket Lab's stock is up 800% over the past year, according to Forbes, the company is not yet profitable. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 26 July 2025

When companies are willing to pay a cost per click, the world is designed to distract - and that design is profitable. —Dilan Gomih, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025

Even with Mbappe’s huge wage coming onboard, Madrid were profitable last season, to the tune of €24m (£20m) after tax. —Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 25 July 2025

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