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Synonyms

success

American  
[suhk-ses] / səkˈsɛs /

noun

  1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals.

  2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.

    Synonyms:
    triumph, accomplishment, achievement
  3. a performance or achievement that is marked by success, as by the attainment of honors.

    The play was an instant success.

  4. a person or thing that has had success, as measured by attainment of goals, wealth, etc..

    She was a great success on the talk show.

  5. Obsolete. outcome.


success British  
/ səkˈsɛs /

noun

  1. the favourable outcome of something attempted

  2. the attainment of wealth, fame, etc

  3. an action, performance, etc, that is characterized by success

  4. a person or thing that is successful

  5. obsolete any outcome

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonsuccess noun
  • presuccess noun
  • semisuccess adjective
  • successless adjective
  • successlessly adverb
  • successlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of success

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin successus, equivalent to succēd-, stem of succēdere succeed + -tus suffix of verb action, with -dt- regularly becoming -ss-

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And even though it has that machinery behind it, there is still something that feels very organic about the success of this movie.

From Los Angeles Times

California’s gray whales have been considered an environmental success story since the passage of the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act and 1986’s global ban on commercial whaling.

From Los Angeles Times

Mayhew-Archer said he felt pressure going into the sitcom, after the success of This Country, and admitted to crying when French agreed to do the show.

From BBC

We tried messaging people who were posting some of the images - without much success.

From BBC

They also aim to understand how this pathway interacts with other pathogen traits that influence infection success.

From Science Daily