GAINFUL Synonyms: 19 Similar and Opposite Words

gainful

adjective

ˈgān-fəl

Definition of gainful

as in lucrative

yielding a profit graduated from school and went looking for gainful employment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of gainful Where do alien nerds find gainful employ? — Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025 At her age, being prickly was neither enchanting nor gainful. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025 Schools that do not meet gainful employment expectations risk losing access to federal funding. — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 2 June 2025 Or workers could simply have given up on Martinsville and moved elsewhere in search of gainful employment. — Gordon H. Hanson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021 See All Example Sentences for gainful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gainful

Adjective

Hollywood voice actors are split over AI voice cloning, as big-name performers license lucrative replicas while freelancers see jobs vanish and fear training their own replacements.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
As part of the earnings release, Nvidia made its case for why the OpenAI data center in Ohio is so lucrative.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of lucrative

Adjective

In the Bay Area, tech companies bent on winning the race to develop artificial intelligence into a profitable business have juiced compensation to recruit talented executives and software engineers, widening the pool of high-income earners.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Still, if a business can buy inventory at a discount or fulfill a highly profitable order, paying more for fast capital can make sense.

— Joseph Lustberg, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of profitable

Adjective

One of the original Vegas homicide detectives described the impossibility of getting any worthwhile information from Knight circa ’96.

— Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
The trip was worthwhile, but things were tense when Nelson led 6-0 through one period.

— The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of worthwhile

Browse Nearby Words

gainers

gainful

gain ground

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Gainful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gainful. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of gainful

adjective

Example Sentences

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