Meaning 1
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.
Meaning 2
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.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| playful | ||
| everyday | ||
| warm | ||
| professional | ||
| formal |
|
playful
in the black
Fits when informal business language can signal positive net results
Careful This idiom describes current accounts and may not establish lasting profitability.
everyday
money-making
Suits an activity whose practical purpose is earning income
Careful Money-making is blunt and unsuitable for formal financial reporting.
professional
Fits when the financial returns are notably large
Careful Lucrative is stronger than profitable and can imply money is the chief motive.
professional
Fits if revenue is sufficient to sustain the operation
Careful Viable can mean merely able to survive, not actually returning a profit.
everyday
Fits if the value justifies the time, cost, or effort
Careful Worthwhile is an overall judgment and may apply despite measurable loss.
warm
Suits work or conversation that produces several valuable outcomes
Careful Fruitful emphasizes results and has no natural accounting sense.
professional
Fits when the gain may be practical, social, or personal
Careful Beneficial does not convey financial return unless context supplies it.
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.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Neskaya, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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