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 Various new funding and industry support schemes have begun to supplement the city’s popular Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), one of Asia’s oldest and most successful project markets. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 The most successful influencers can earn thousands of dollars in foreign advertising revenue per video, say Afghan owners of YouTube channels, a striking figure in a country where a monthly salary of a few hundred dollars counts as good income. Rick Noack, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Andrew Friedman has plenty of remorse but no decent answer Oct. 18, 2023 This philosophy, while wildly successful in building a deep organization filled with versatile talent that literally covers every base in building 100-win regular seasons, sometimes runs amok. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 The Dragon Ball universe remains one of Japan’s most successful global hits, captivating the hearts of many manga-loving teens and adults from around the world since its debut in the 1980s. Mai Nishiyama, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 If successful, the city would lease the housing property from the district for up to 55 years. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 One of the most successful male singing groups, New Edition has entertained audiences for more than 40 years. Diego Ramos Bechara, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 Since that first segment was successful in protecting the city, more were built. Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2024 To spot these challenges ahead of time, successful wearable companies will need to be diverse; good design will require a plurality of bodies as co-designers. Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'successful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of successful was in 1594

Dictionary Entries Near successful

Cite this Entry

“Successful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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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