profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results

profitability

ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

profitableness

ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl-nəs 

noun

profitably

ˈprä-fə-tə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms of profitable

• lucrative
• worthwhile

Examples of profitable in a Sentence

The movie was very profitable.

selling real estate on the side turned out to be a profitable venture for the stay-at-home mom

Recent Examples on the Web

OpenAI isn’t expected to be profitable in the coming years. —Bailey Lipschultz, Fortune, 6 June 2026

The venue is projected to be profitable within five years and generate nearly $29 million in revenue by 2036. —Clay Marshall, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026

But after averaging $14 billion per quarter in buybacks over the past five years, the most profitable company in the US didn’t buy back a single share in the first quarter. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 4 June 2026

Yeung expects the cafe to be profitable in its first year in business. —Mike Winters mickey Todiwala, CNBC, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for profitable

• unprofitable

Kids Definition

profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl 

ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: producing profit

profitably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results

profitability

ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

profitableness noun

profitably adverb