profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl How to pronounce profitable (audio)
ˈpräf-tə-bəl
Synonyms of profitablenext
: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results
profitability
ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce profitable (audio)
noun
profitableness
ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl-nəs How to pronounce profitable (audio)
noun
profitably
ˈprä-fə-tə-blē How to pronounce profitable (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of profitable

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of profitable in a Sentence

The movie was very profitable. selling real estate on the side turned out to be a profitable venture for the stay-at-home mom
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Environmental crime has become one of the Amazon’s most profitable illicit industries, fueled by global demand for gold, timber and wildlife. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Early investors could sell far more than the market expects, particularly when many remain profitable at prices well below the IPO. — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The study also found that many independent vineyards had not been profitable in 2019 and 2020. — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026 Trump’s media venture has struggled to build a profitable social media business despite its lofty valuation. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for profitable

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of profitable was in the 14th century

Rhymes for profitable

See All Rhymes for profitable

Browse Nearby Words

profitability
profitable
profitableness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Profitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profitable. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

profitable

adjective
prof·​it·​able ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl How to pronounce profitable (audio)
ˈpräf-tə-bəl
: producing profit
profitably
-blē How to pronounce profitable (audio)
adverb

Legal Definition

profitable

adjective
prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl How to pronounce profitable (audio)
: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results
profitability
ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce profitable (audio)
noun
profitableness noun
profitably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on profitable

Nglish: Translation of profitable for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All