What does successful mean?

Definitions for successful
səkˈsɛs fəlsuc·cess·ful

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word successful.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. successfuladjective

    having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome

    "a successful architect"; "a successful business venture"

Wiktionary

  1. successfuladjective

    Resulting in success; assuring, or promotive of, success; accomplishing what was proposed; having the desired effect; prosperous; fortunate; happy

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Successfuladjective

    Prosperous; happy; fortunate.

    Etymology: success and full.

    They were terrible alarms to persons grown wealthy by a long and successful imposture, by persuading the world that men might be honest and happy, though they never mortified any corrupt appetites. Robert South, Sermons.

    H’ observ’d the illustrious throng,
    Their names, their fates, their conduct and their care
    In peaceful senates and successful war. Dryden.

    The early hunter
    Blesses Diana’s hand, who leads him safe
    O’er hanging cliffs; who spreads his net successful,
    And guides the arrow through the panther’s heart. Matthew Prior.

Wikipedia

  1. successful

    Success is the state or condition of meeting a defined range of expectations. It may be viewed as the opposite of failure. The criteria for success depend on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One person might consider a success what another person considers a failure, particularly in cases of direct competition or a zero-sum game. Similarly, the degree of success or failure in a situation may be differently viewed by distinct observers or participants, such that a situation that one considers to be a success, another might consider to be a failure, a qualified success or a neutral situation. For example, a film that is a commercial failure or even a box-office bomb can go on to receive a cult following, with the initial lack of commercial success even lending a cachet of subcultural coolness.It may also be difficult or impossible to ascertain whether a situation meets criteria for success or failure due to ambiguous or ill-defined definition of those criteria. Finding useful and effective criteria, or heuristics, to judge the failure or success of a situation may itself be a significant task.

ChatGPT

  1. successful

    Successful usually refers to the accomplishment of a goal, aim, or purpose. It could also mean achieving wealth, respect, or fame. Being successful often implies the attainment of desired outcomes or the triumph over challenges or difficulties. It can be subjective and may depend on individual perceptions or societal standards.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Successfuladjective

    resulting in success; assuring, or promotive of, success; accomplishing what was proposed; having the desired effect; hence, prosperous; fortunate; happy; as, a successful use of medicine; a successful experiment; a successful enterprise

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'successful' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #903

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'successful' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1517

  3. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'successful' in Adjectives Frequency: #107

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of successful in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of successful in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of successful in a Sentence

  1. Agata Ludwiczak:

    Think about hiking, when you're setting out on an adventure, you need your backpack, supplies and equipment, but you also need a compass to tell you where you're heading. Without one or the other it is not likely to be a very successful trip.

  2. Nick Reaves:

    The states decision to exclude certain agencies and certain very successful agencies like St. Vincent simply because of their religious beliefs causes unnecessary harm to the countless kids theyre serving now and could be serving in the future merely because the attorney general doesnt like what St. Vincent believes and has believed for over 75 years.

  3. Bill Clinton spokesman Angel Urena:

    The trip led to the successful release of two American journalists who were being held in North Korea, this request turned out to be unnecessary and the trip was able to occur without diplomatic passports.

  4. Melanie Lutenbacher:

    The take-home message for women if they’re thinking about breastfeeding is do Ruth Newby homework, at this point, the burden is still really on the woman for breastfeeding to be successful. She needs to build a breastfeeding support system while still pregnant, identify people from her family and friend circle who are supportive, and learn as much as she can about breastfeeding.

  5. Lori Tremmel Freeman:

    We're hearing from our health departments actively working with their school districts to support school vaccination efforts, including working with school nurses in the community to make sure they have needed resources and assistance to host a successful vaccine clinic -- and that is certainly happening universally across the country in different jurisdictions, as we head into the start of classes this month, we're seeing more and more schools talking about incorporating vaccine clinics into their programs, where possible.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

successful#1#1897#10000

Translations for successful

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"successful." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 23 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/successful>.

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