What does "success" mean?
The achievement of one's aim or goal.
Success
/səkˈsɛs/ name, noun
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The achievement of one's aim or goal.
- Grammar: success is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: achiever, winner, accomplished fact, accomplishing.
- Useful contrasts: italian collasso, total failure, drat.
- Usage evidence: I'm sure your efforts will result in success.
How to use "success"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "success" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "success" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "success" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "success" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "success" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "achiever" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "success", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The achievement of one's aim or goal. countable, uncountable
"His third attempt to pass the entrance exam was a success."
- 2 an attainment that is successful wordnet
- 3 Financial profitability. countable, uncountable
"Don't let success go to your head."
- 4 an event that accomplishes its intended purpose wordnet
- 5 One who, or that which, achieves assumed goals. countable, uncountable
"Scholastically, he was a success."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a person with a record of successes wordnet
- 7 The fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame. countable, uncountable
"She is country music's most recent success."
- 8 a state of prosperity or fame wordnet
- 9 Something which happens as a consequence; the outcome or result. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"I suppose them as at the beginning of no meane endeavour, not a little alter'd and mov'd inwardly in their mindes: Some with doubt of what will be the successe, others with fear of what will be the censure; some with hope, others with confidence of what they have to speake."
Proper Noun
- 1 A suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
- 2 A town in Clay County, Arkansas.
- 3 A ghost town in Jasper County, Mississippi.
- 4 An unincorporated community in Texas County, Missouri.
- 5 An unincorporated township in Coos County, New Hampshire.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 An unincorporated community in Meigs County, Ohio.
- 7 A village in Saskatchewan, Canada.
- 8 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I'm sure your efforts will result in success."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "success"?
Common synonyms include: achiever, winner, accomplished fact, accomplishing, accomplishment, accomplishment.
How do you use "success" in a sentence?
I'm sure your efforts will result in success.
How do you pronounce "success"?
Pronounced /səkˈsɛs/.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin successus, from succēdō (“succeed”), from sub- (“next to”) + cēdō (“go, move”). Partly displaced native Old English spēd, whence Modern English speed.