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.
His ratings have been successful 61% of the time, delivering an average return of 10.8%. Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2025 The tune opens at No. 23 on the 25-spot ranking, which looks only at the most successful cuts on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and others, and that Billboard classifies specifically as R&B, hip-hop or rap throughout the United States. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025 At this point, Hurts is by far the most successful one. Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025 The Alves family settled in Danbury, where a relative owned a successful cleaning business. Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 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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