# profitable

/ˈpɹɑfətəbəɫ/ (US) · /pɹˈɒfɪtəbəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/profitable
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. making money

adjective · CEFR B2

making more money than you spend on a business or activity.

For teachers: yielding a financial profit; where total revenue exceeds total costs.

- The company became profitable only two years after it started.
- The board of directors decided to divest from the retail sector, as it was no longer a profitable venture compared to their digital services.

### 2. useful or beneficial

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

helpful or useful for your personal growth or a specific goal.

For teachers: beneficial, advantageous, or useful in a non-financial context.

- We had a very profitable discussion about how to improve the team.
- The sabbatical proved to be a highly profitable period for the researcher, allowing her to synthesize years of disparate data into a cohesive theory.

## Examples

- The small bakery became profitable after only six months.
- The company decided to close its underperforming branches and focus on its most profitable markets.
- While the initial investment was substantial, the long-term projections suggest the venture will be highly profitable once the infrastructure is fully operational.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.