GAINFUL Synonyms: 19 Similar and Opposite Words

gainful

adjective

ˈgān-fəl

Definition of gainful

as in lucrative

yielding a profit graduated from school and went looking for gainful employment

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of gainful The goal is to prepare these students for their future jobs by developing the skills needed to find gainful employment. — Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 28 Dec. 2025 Where do alien nerds find gainful employ? — Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025 At her age, being prickly was neither enchanting nor gainful. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025 Schools that do not meet gainful employment expectations risk losing access to federal funding. — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for gainful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gainful

Adjective

Arthur Greenberg helped transform the Los Angeles legal and civic landscape by channeling the success and resources built through his highly lucrative career as a top-tier attorney.

— Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2026
However, restrictions have begun to loosen over the last decade, and some players have been allowed to compete abroad or join lucrative leagues.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of lucrative

Adjective

Europe’s struggle to build a trillion-dollar market-cap company has been on the mind of Peter Koerte, CEO of Siemens’s Smart Infrastructure division—the most profitable of Siemens’s four core businesses.

— Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Ultimately, American Girl still has to walk a fine line between being a profitable brand and remaining—and enduring as—a safe brand for children who are still learning to navigate the world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of profitable

Browse Nearby Words

gainers

gainful

gain ground

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“Gainful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gainful. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of gainful

adjective

Example Sentences

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