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
Derived Forms
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half-successfullyadverb
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presuccessfullyadverb
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successfullyadverb
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nonsuccessfullyadverb
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presuccessfuladjective
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half-successfuladjective
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quasi-successfullyadverb
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quasi-successfuladjective
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semisuccessfuladjective
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semisuccessfullyadverb
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half-successfulnessnoun
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nonsuccessfuladjective
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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.
There have been several attempts to penetrate the U.S. sports consciousness since the successful Paris Games.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026
"Longleat has been one of the most successful hubs for the breeding programmes of Nubian giraffes, so to start that journey again is a privilege," said Beasley.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
HEAF: Another reason we haven’t been as successful as we should have been over the last few years is that we haven’t been updating our product at the pace of the consumer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Even a successful transformation into an AI-first world might never drive software-like returns.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
A bemused Miss Mortimer opened her office door to find the Incorrigibles taking mock bows and curtsies before an imaginary audience, as if they had just concluded a successful opening night on the West End.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
