adjective
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having succeeded in one's endeavours
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marked by a favourable outcome
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having obtained fame, wealth, etc
Usage
Spelling tips for successful The word successful is hard to spell because it can be hard to know which letters are doubled. Both the c and the middle s are doubled, but the f and l are not. How to spell successful: To be a success, you need to see (two Cs) Some Smarts (two Ss). This reminds you that success is spelled with a double C in the middle and a double S at the end. To spell successful, you add the base word (success) to the suffix -ful.
Other Word Forms
- half-successful adjective
- half-successfully adverb
- half-successfulness noun
- nonsuccessful adjective
- nonsuccessfully adverb
- presuccessful adjective
- presuccessfully adverb
- quasi-successful adjective
- quasi-successfully adverb
- semisuccessful adjective
- semisuccessfully adverb
- successfully adverb
- successfulness noun
Etymology
Origin of successful
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.
Some of the most successful new financial-services companies, such as Robinhood, now offer brokerage services not only on stocks and bonds but also on a variety of alternative investments.
Some contestants have also concealed their job roles in series 4, to avoid being seen as successful problem solvers.
From BBC
“If successful, that would result in long-term hospitalization. It is still early in the process and Mr. Jackson made it clear there are significant issues being explored. Time will tell.”
From Los Angeles Times
"There's one situation that keeps you in your job when you're a manager -- this is being successful."
From Barron's
The Raiders were so putrid this season that they now own the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, giving the NFL’s most successful quarterback the chance to handpick a franchise quarterback of his own.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
