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.
Many of them took to the roads and rails, freaking out elite and middle-class white Protestants, who generally viewed married, settled life as the foundation of a successful society. JSTOR Daily, 21 Oct. 2025 Along with Tupac and Janet Jackson, the film starred another pair of relative silver-screen newcomers—the actress Regina King (coming off a successful half-decade stint on the TV show 227) and a stand-up comedian, Joe Torry. Jeff Pearlman, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025 By volume alone, slop may be the most visible and successful by-product of the generative-AI era to date. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025 Shinsuke Sato, a filmmaker known for some of the more successful anime adaptations, like Bleach and Kingdom, is attached to direct the live-action movie for Netflix and Legendary. Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Successful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successful. Accessed 23 Oct. 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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