adjective
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having succeeded in one's endeavours
-
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.
“In Iraq, we focused on combat operations which were wildly successful,” Mansoor said.
Jackson directed the hugely successful Lord of the Rings film series more than 20 years ago, winning best director at the Oscars for The Fellowship of the Ring in 2004.
From BBC
Several years later, he was approached by Disney’s Buena Vista Productions to make an American version of a successful British morning show he created.
From Los Angeles Times
The process will include open applications, workshops and training, so "even the people that aren't successful still learn something".
From BBC
If all trials are successful, Orion will then provide the necessary thrust to leave Earth's orbit and head to the Moon.
From Barron's
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.
