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
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half-successfuladjective
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half-successfullyadverb
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half-successfulnessnoun
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nonsuccessfuladjective
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nonsuccessfullyadverb
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presuccessfuladjective
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presuccessfullyadverb
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quasi-successfuladjective
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quasi-successfullyadverb
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semisuccessfuladjective
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semisuccessfullyadverb
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successfullyadverb
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successfulnessnoun
Etymology
Origin of successful
Explanation
If you win or do well, at whatever it is you do, you are successful. Successful people usually get more money, attention, and praise. If you go into business and make a lot of money, you're successful. If you play tennis and finish the season with more wins than losses, you've been successful. If you have a successful pregnancy, you give birth to a healthy baby. Successful is one of those words that covers a great deal of ground; it generally applies to anything, anyone or any venture that ends well. When you see the word successful, think "Winning!"
Vocabulary lists containing successful
Power Suffix: -ful
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 5
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"A Raisin in the Sun," "My Father is a Simple Man," and "My Mother Pieced Quilts"
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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.
“That’s not what I agreed to do. That’s not the job at hand. The job at hand was to produce a successful roast, which I did.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
That is the irony of China’s robot push: that, the more successful it becomes, the more likely foreign governments are to restrict it.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
Tory MSP Meghan Gallacher noted that nearly seven in 10 of successful applicants to the government's previous First Home Fund had household income above the national average.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Fender’s demand, if successful, “would establish a monopoly, limiting sales and restricting choice for musicians everywhere,” owner Lisa Lerman wrote online.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
“Their panda conservation efforts have been so successful that the giant panda has become an international symbol for conserving wildlife.”
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
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.
