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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As for midfielders, several players were already discussed last summer, when a successful sale of Dani Ceballos might have opened the door to a new arrival. Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025 Turkey’s unmanned fighter, Bayraktar Kizilelma, became the first drone in the world to strike a jet from long range, in a successful test over the Black Sea this week. MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Dec. 2025 CoComelon Lane is the successful spin-off series of the original CoComelon, which aired on YouTube. Sarah Scott, Parents, 1 Dec. 2025 If successful, the system could enable a wider range of maritime operators, including Traditional Owners and tourism companies that do not run specialized research vessels, to participate in future restoration missions. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Successful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successful. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.

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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