/ səkˈsesfl; NAmE / adjective
1.
successful (in sth / in doing sth) | successful (at sth / at doing sth) achieving your aims or what was intended :
They were successful in winning the contract.
I wasn't very successful at keeping the news secret.
We congratulated them on the successful completion of the project.
2.
having become popular and/or made a lot of money :
The play was very successful on Broadway.
a successful actor
The company has had another successful year.
OPP unsuccessful
► suc·cess·ful·ly / -fəli; NAmE / adverb
••
SYNONYMS
successful
profitable ♦ commercial ♦ lucrative ♦ economic
These words all describe sb/sth that is making or is likely to make money.
successful
making a lot of money, especially by being popular:
The play was very successful on Broadway.
•
The company has had another successful year.
profitable
making a profit:
a highly profitable business
commercial
[only before noun] making or intended to make a profit:
The movie was not a commercial success (= made no profit) .
lucrative
(of business or work) producing or paying a large amount of money; making a large profit:
They do a lot of business in lucrative overseas markets.
economic
(often used in negative sentences) (of a process, business or activity) producing enough profit to continue:
Small local shops stop being economic when a supermarket opens up nearby.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
to be / remain successful / profitable / lucrative / economic
to prove / seem / make sth / keep sth successful / profitable / lucrative / economic
a successful / profitable / lucrative business
a successful / profitable / lucrative year
a(n) commercial / economic success
highly / particularly / very successful / profitable / lucrative
fairly / quite successful / profitable / lucrative