successful

adjective

suc·​cess·​ful sək-ˈses-fəl How to pronounce successful (audio)
Synonyms of successfulnext
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.
The successful surgery was the good news for Mahomes and the Chiefs. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 Dec. 2025 Waymo, in particular, has been so successful in its commercial expansion that Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged his rival’s achievements after previously criticizing the Google sister company. Lora Kolodny,jennifer Elias,annie Palmer, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025 Lacik, who took on the president and CEO role at Pandora in April 2019, is credited with leading its successful turnaround and launching its Phoenix strategy to transform it into a full jewelry brand, extending beyond its core charm business and reinforcing its sustainability strategy. Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 15 Dec. 2025 Still, like the Mercurial sign, Judy begins to learn that being honest is the key to having successful relationships with others and with themselves. Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Successful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successful. Accessed 21 Dec. 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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