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 was revealed as the fourth regular series of the BBC show launched on Thursday, hot on the heels of the successful celebrity version, which attracted more than 15 million viewers.
From BBC
BBC Sport understands the growing expectation is for the deal to be completed, but the talks will be pivotal towards the transfer's successful progression.
From BBC
The fourth regular series follows the hugely successful celebrity spin-off, which aired in the autumn and attracted 15 million viewers.
From BBC
He took up with a Christian prison rehabilitation charity and was so successful convincing them that he was reformed that on his release he became its national director.
From BBC
The lessons from other countries offer two versions - the successful "Baltic model" followed by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which combined the euro with reforms to streamline administration, encourage investment and combat corruption.
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.