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

Derived Forms

• sucˈcessfulness, noun
• sucˈcessfully, adverb

Other Words From

• suc·cessful·ly adverb
• suc·cessful·ness noun
• half-suc·cessful adjective
• half-suc·cessful·ly adverb
• half-suc·cessful·ness noun
• nonsuc·cessful adjective
• nonsuc·cessful·ly adverb
• presuc·cessful adjective
• presuc·cessful·ly adverb
• quasi-suc·cessful adjective
• quasi-suc·cessful·ly adverb
• semi·suc·cessful adjective
• semi·suc·cessful·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of successful¹

First recorded in 1580–90; success + -ful

Example Sentences

"This might provide an early warning of the need for trust repair -- so that a human-robot mission can still be successful when things don't go to plan."

From Science Daily

Through persistence and a bit of good timing, she and her neighbors emerged successful after working with a nonprofit group that bought the building.

From Los Angeles Times

Rodri would be top of both attempted and successful passes, as well as duels won.

From BBC

Mr Hines says a successful referral unit “should be an intervention, not a destination” and that one of the most valuable things is seeing “happy children… having successes they didn’t believe that they could have”.

From BBC

He is a staunch defender of Trump and led a successful effort to oust Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year.

From BBC

Related Words

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

How Do You Spell Successful?

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.