gainful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- gainfully adverb
- gainfulness noun
- ungainful adjective
- ungainfully adverb
Etymology
Origin of gainful
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.
“I think the history of technology innovation is that people have re-skilled and have found gainful employment in other aspects of the economy,” said Joe Baratta, global head of Blackstone’s private-equity business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 27, 2025
The few companies which offer deportees gainful employment have become even more important to avoid a slide into criminality.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2025
The bad news was that I had absolutely no idea how to find gainful employment.
From Salon • May 27, 2024
His medical insurance is running out, and despite his goal of gainful employment, Truelove hopes to be approved for disability benefits.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2023
The argument went that we benefitted from compulsory education, as it provides a livelihood for formerly enslaved, who couldn’t find gainful employment after the war.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
