Successful
adj.hopeful, capableprofessional
What it means
Achieving a desired or worthwhile result.
Reach for it when describing a person, effort, or result that achieves its intended purpose
The successful repair kept the bridge open.
Choose between these
6- everyday
when healthy growth continues over time
not when A completed rescue can be successful without anything continuing to thrive.
- warm
when useful results emerge from a meeting, relationship, or period of work
not when Fruitful suggests productive yield rather than a single target reached.
- professional
when a method produces the intended practical effect
not when A successful career or person is broader than an effective method.
- formal
when developed skill and substantial achievements define the person
not when One successful attempt does not make someone accomplished.
- formal
when continuing financial or material well-being is central
not when Social and creative success should not be reduced to prosperity.
- literary
when a contest or struggle ends in a clear win
not when Collaborative success rarely needs the language of defeating an opponent.
Said against
3- unsuccessful
- ineffective
- failed
It naturally appears in
3- successful project
The successful project restored clean water to four villages.
- highly successful
The mentoring scheme proved highly successful in its first term.
- successful outcome
Careful preparation made a successful outcome more likely.
The word family
1Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective, having achieved a desired result sense opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.