successful

[suhk-ses-fuhl]

adjective

1. achieving or having achieved success.

2. having attained wealth, position, honors, or the like.

3. resulting in or attended with success.

successful

/ səkˈsɛsfʊl /

adjective

1. having succeeded in one's endeavours

2. marked by a favourable outcome

3. having obtained fame, wealth, etc

Other Word Forms

• successfulness noun
• successfully adverb
• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of successful¹

First recorded in 1580–90; success + -ful

Example Sentences

The deal still must overcome regulatory review that, if successful, would create the first transcontinental freight railroad in the U.S.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At times, Atlas struggled with clicking the correct button; it was like watching my toddler feed himself—inefficient but ultimately successful.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Fabcaro, also a successful novelist, has produced two comics and is unsure whether he will write another one -- the next is scheduled for late 2027.

Read more on Barron's

If not entirely successful, it’s still a fascinating take on how we put rock stars on screen and a valiant attempt to understand how they make the music that moves us.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But all the projects were done with passion and the hope they would be creatively successful.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fortunate 
• fruitful 
• happy 
• lucky 
• lucrative 
• outstanding 
• prosperous 
• rewarding 
• strong 
• wealthy 

When To Use

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.