Definition of profitable adjective from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary



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  1. 1that makes or is likely to make money a highly profitable business a profitable investment It is usually more profitable to sell direct to the public. Thesaurussuccessfulprofitable commercial lucrativeThese words all describe someone or something that is making or is likely to make money.successful making a lot of money, especially by being popular:The play was very successful on Broadway. The company has had another successful year.profitable making a profit:a highly profitable businesscommercial [only before noun] making or intended to make a profit:The movie was not a commercial success (= made no profit).lucrative (of business or work) producing or paying a large amount of money; making a large profit:They do a lot of business in lucrative overseas markets.Patterns a successful/profitable/lucrative business a successful/profitable/lucrative year
  2. 2that gives someone an advantage or a useful result synonym rewarding a profitable experience She spent a profitable afternoon in the library.
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noun [uncountable] to increase profitability
adverb to run a business profitably He spent the weekend profitably.
See the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary entry: profitable