gainful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gainful
Explanation
When something is gainful, it is profitable. In other words, it benefits or rewards the person who is doing it. You are most likely to come across the word gainful followed by employment. For some reason, most writers use this adjective to describe the working world, and the idea that a job provides a benefit to the worker — usually, in the form of money. Occasionally, you'll see other words replace employment, but they will still mean "work." The root of gainful is the Old French gaaignier, "to earn or gain," and also "to work in the fields or cultivate land."
Vocabulary lists containing gainful
The Bluest Eye
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Because They Marched
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Sadie
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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.
As Bessent noted, “One in five … will become homeless after aging out of the system, while only half will obtain gainful employment by the time they turn 24.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
A life without gainful employment has become a viable alternative for an increasing number of American males.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Pivoting was her “best chance at obtaining gainful employment,” she added.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
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 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.
