successful

adjective

suc·​cess·​ful sək-ˈses-fəl How to pronounce successful (audio)
Synonyms of successfulnext
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
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After initial theoretical assessments and successful laboratory trials, AEON underwent its first test deployment at the BMW Group Plant Leipzig in December 2025. Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Mar. 2026 In twenty-two minutes, the digital clock in the kitchen would gently flip to Sunday morning and this dinner would spill into the start of a new day, the kind of shift Nina used to think signaled a wildly successful evening. Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026 The most successful writers aren’t the most brilliant. Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2026 This was the 11th launch from the Space Coast in 2023 and 300th successful Falcon 9 launch since its debut in 2010, having only had one mid-launch failure in 2015. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for successful

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of successful was in 1594

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Cite this Entry

“Successful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successful. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.

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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