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
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half-successfuladjective
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half-successfullyadverb
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half-successfulnessnoun
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nonsuccessfuladjective
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nonsuccessfullyadverb
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presuccessfuladjective
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presuccessfullyadverb
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quasi-successfuladjective
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quasi-successfullyadverb
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semisuccessfuladjective
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semisuccessfullyadverb
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successfullyadverb
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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.
One man explained from behind the counter that the money would be transferred to the smugglers only after a successful crossing.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Companies also tend to underprice their IPO to make sure their shares have a successful launch in the public markets.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
If successful, Musk's lawsuit could deal a lethal blow to OpenAI, which helped trigger the AI revolution with its release of ChatGPT in 2022 and is now one of the world's most valuable private companies.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
But the operation demonstrates that the jihadist threat hasn’t gone away, despite no major successful attack on U.S. soil for several years.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
Indeed, because of their historical and rhetorical association with the successful war against British imperialism, they were the most potent forces in the entire political culture.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
