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
- 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.
"It's been a really successful project so far and I think the variety of stuff that we get in is fantastic and it's preventing everything going to landfill," he said.
From BBC
Norah Lake, the owner and farmer at Vermont's Sweetland Farms, says to get a successful harvest, "there's a lot of looking forward and then backwards and then forwards and then backwards in crop farming".
From BBC
Then there is Neville, who either as a commentator or pundit on Sky's football coverage - or the hugely successful 'Stick to Football' podcast - is rarely short of an opinion.
From BBC
Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane remained on the pitch despite his side's protests and was eventually successful in convincing his team to return to the field.
From BBC
Trundle, who was known for attempting eye-catching flicks and tricks, took penalties throughout his career and although he never took a Panenka as a pro, he did so successful playing semi-professionally.
From BBC
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.