Profitable

Producing more financial return than the costs incurred.

Reach for it when describing an activity or business that generates a net gain

The repair cooperative became profitable during its third winter.

• playful

  in the black

  when informal business language can signal positive net results

  not when This idiom describes current accounts and may not establish lasting profitability.

• everyday

  money-making

  for an activity whose practical purpose is earning income

  not when Money-making is blunt and unsuitable for formal financial reporting.

• professional

  lucrative

  when the financial returns are notably large

  not when Lucrative is stronger than profitable and can imply money is the chief motive.

• professional

  viable

  if revenue is sufficient to sustain the operation

  not when Viable can mean merely able to survive, not actually returning a profit.

Producing a useful, worthwhile, or instructive result.

Reach for it when praising time or effort for the nonfinancial value it creates

Their profitable discussion uncovered a simpler route through the permit process.

• everyday

  worthwhile

  if the value justifies the time, cost, or effort

  not when Worthwhile is an overall judgment and may apply despite measurable loss.

• warm

  fruitful

  for work or conversation that produces several valuable outcomes

  not when Fruitful emphasizes results and has no natural accounting sense.

• professional

  beneficial

  when the gain may be practical, social, or personal

  not when Beneficial does not convey financial return unless context supplies it.

• unprofitable
• loss-making
• wasteful
• fruitless

• profitable business

  Careful purchasing turned the workshop into a profitable business.

• highly profitable

  The seasonal route became highly profitable without raising fares.

• profitable exchange

  A profitable exchange of ideas continued long after the panel ended.