successful
adjective
suc·cess·ful
sək-ˈses-fəl 
1
: resulting or terminating in success
a successful attempt
2
: gaining or having gained success
a successful investor
successfulness
noun
Examples of successful in a Sentence
the play had a successful run on Broadway
sold their successful dry-cleaning business and retired to Hawaii
Recent Examples on the Web
This sterile male technique, previously explained to Newsweek by Texas A&M Professor Phillip Kaufman, works because female screwworm flies mate only once—flooding areas with sterile males prevents successful reproduction.
—
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
As noted in our startup fundraising checklist, articulating a compelling long-term vision is one of the most important elements of a successful early-stage fundraising strategy.
—Abdo Riani, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Lee's appointment comes amid a groundswell of interest around stablecoins following the successful IPO of stablecoin issuer Circle at the beginning of the month and positive momentum pushing potential stablecoin legislation through Congress.
—Tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 30 June 2025
The only item that Johnson wasn’t successful in achieving was naming of the park after his wife.
—Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for successful
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
As noted in our startup fundraising checklist, articulating a compelling long-term vision is one of the most important elements of a successful early-stage fundraising strategy.
—Abdo Riani, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Lee's appointment comes amid a groundswell of interest around stablecoins following the successful IPO of stablecoin issuer Circle at the beginning of the month and positive momentum pushing potential stablecoin legislation through Congress.
—Tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 30 June 2025
The only item that Johnson wasn’t successful in achieving was naming of the park after his wife.
—Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for successful
Cite this Entry
“Successful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successful. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
successful
adjective
suc·cess·ful
sək-ˈses-fəl
1
: resulting or ending in success
2
: gaining or having gained success
successfulness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share