profitable

1 of 2

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results

profitability

ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

profitableness

ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl-nəs 

noun

profitably

ˈprä-fə-tə-blē 

adverb

profitability

2 of 2

noun

prof·​it·​abil·​i·​ty ˌpräfə̇təˈbilətē 

: the quality or state of being profitable

getting things done that contribute to the profitability of the company

—G. B. Hurff

Synonyms of profitable

Adjective

• lucrative
• worthwhile

Examples of profitable in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Paramount will have one of it most profitable years in more than 15 years, but that’s come more from trimming costs than fielding blockbusters. — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026

The issue is that, while CBS News is seen as a breakeven or barely profitable endeavor, one primarily about brand-building, CNN is an actual profit center. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Meta already has a highly profitable advertising business, giving it more flexibility to invest for the long term. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026

Meta has said its free Muse app will be profitable in part by taking a small cut of transactions processed by its agents. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for profitable

• unprofitable

Kids Definition

profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl 

ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: producing profit

profitably

-blē 

adverb

Legal Definition

profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results

profitability

ˌprä-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

profitableness noun

profitably adverb