successful

adjective

suc·​cess·​ful sək-ˈses-fəl 

1

: resulting or terminating in success

a successful attempt

2

: gaining or having gained success

a successful investor

successfully

sək-ˈses-fə-lē 

adverb

successfulness noun

Synonyms of successful

• prosperous
• thriving

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

To fully commit, Nathan went on a date, as Corey, so that Corey himself could later get a kiss from the woman after the successful high-wire act. — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Russia was successful in quashing further details about his death. — Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Perhaps the biggest winner from this saga may be Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, which just raised $10 billion in a successful fundraising round valuing it at $130 billion. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Moderna and Merck had announced in August that the late-stage trial of intismeran was successful but the detailed results were set to be released Saturday at a meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology in Madrid. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for successful

• distressful
• stressful
• unsuccessful

Kids Definition

successful

adjective

suc·​cess·​ful sək-ˈses-fəl 

1

: resulting or ending in success

2

: gaining or having gained success

successfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

successfulness noun