successful

adjective

suc·​cess·​ful sək-ˈses-fəl How to pronounce successful (audio)
1
: resulting or terminating in success
a successful attempt
2
: gaining or having gained success
a successful investor
successfully adverb
successfulness noun

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 Carter has helped James throughout the years launching various platforms, including the highly successful Uninterruped umbrella. Evan Sidery, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 That momentum was building just as Pluma was rolling out several other successful collaborations with other artists in and outside his genre. Thania Garcia, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023 Israel survived, and Arab honor, shattered in 1967, was restored by Egypt’s initially successful attack across the Suez Canal. Thomas W. Lippman, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023 The penguins’ successful microsleep strategy raises interesting questions about how variable fruitful sleep can be among different species and in different environments. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Nov. 2023 According to Vice, Blanco was responsible for the murders of hundreds of people, including her three husbands, and amassed a vast fortune as one of the most successful drug lords in history. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 30 Nov. 2023 Lifelong BFFs collaborate on a wildly successful video game. The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023 Researchers have now created arguably the most successful demonstration yet of an electrocaloric component. IEEE Spectrum, 29 Nov. 2023 The drummer also opened up about what made the funk group successful. Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of successful was in 1594

Dictionary Entries Near successful

Cite this Entry

“Successful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successful. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

successful

adjective
suc·​cess·​ful sək-ˈses-fəl How to pronounce successful (audio)
1
: resulting or ending in success
2
: gaining or having gained success
successfully adverb
successfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on successful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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