success
Americannoun
-
the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals.
-
the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
- Synonyms:
- triumph, accomplishment, achievement
-
a performance or achievement that is marked by success, as by the attainment of honors.
The play was an instant success.
-
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.
-
Obsolete. outcome.
noun
-
the favourable outcome of something attempted
-
the attainment of wealth, fame, etc
-
an action, performance, etc, that is characterized by success
-
a person or thing that is successful
-
obsolete any outcome
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonsuccessnoun
-
presuccessnoun
-
successlessnessnoun
-
semisuccessadjective
-
successlessadjective
-
successlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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-
Explanation
For some students, success in school means getting As and Bs. For others, it means getting straight As, starring in the school play, and winning the class election. Success means achieving a goal, and everyone's goals are different. We tend to think of success as a triumph or victory, but if you look at its linguistic roots in Latin, success literally just means "result." At some point several centuries ago people probably began using success as shorthand for "good success," and eventually they dropped the good altogether. That would explain why in formal settings you still occasionally hear the phrase "good success," even though we now think of all successes as good.
Vocabulary lists containing success
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Kids Are Inventors, Too"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Rein Me In is Fender's first number one, while the pop-rock ballad is Dean's second chart-topper after the success of her single Man I Need.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
He collected data, reviewed practice schedules, interviewed the club’s players and coaches—and found an explanation for Haaland’s success.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
Hoping to cash in on that success, the municipality has decided to increase the visitor's tax from 3.2 to five percent from early July, before hiking it to eight percent in July 2027.
From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026
The success of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic transformed vaccine science.
From Science Daily • Jul. 9, 2026
The students at Bennett and A&T were instrumental to the sit-ins’ success.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
