What does success mean?

Definitions for success
səkˈsɛssuc·cess

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word success.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. successnoun

    an event that accomplishes its intended purpose

    "let's call heads a success and tails a failure"; "the election was a remarkable success for the Whigs"

  2. successnoun

    an attainment that is successful

    "his success in the marathon was unexpected"; "his new play was a great success"

  3. successnoun

    a state of prosperity or fame

    "he is enjoying great success"; "he does not consider wealth synonymous with success"

  4. achiever, winner, success, succeedernoun

    a person with a record of successes

    "his son would never be the achiever that his father was"; "only winners need apply"; "if you want to be a success you have to dress like a success"

Wiktionary

  1. successnoun

    Something which happens as a consequence; the outcome or result.

  2. successnoun

    The achievement of one's aim or goal.

    His third attempt to pass the entrance exam was a success.

  3. successnoun

    financial profitability.

    Don't let success go to your head.

  4. successnoun

    One who, or that which, achieves assumed goals.

  5. Etymology: From successus, from succedere.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. SUCCESSnoun

    Etymology: succes, French; successus, Latin.

    For good success of his hands, he asketh ability to do of him that is most unable. Wisd. xiii. 19.

    Perplex’d and troubled at his bad success
    The tempter stood. John Milton.

    Not Lemuel’s mother with more care
    Did counsel or instruct her heir;
    Or teach, with more success, her son
    The vices of the time to shun. Edmund Waller.

    Every reasonable man cannot but wish me success in this attempt, because I undertake the proof of that which it is every man’s interest that it should be true. John Tillotson, Sermons.

    Whilst malice and ingratitude confess,
    They’ve strove for ruin long without success. Samuel Garth.

    Gas sulphuris may be given with success in any disease of the lungs. John Arbuthnot, on Diet.

    Military successes, above all others, elevate the minds of a people. Francis Atterbury, Sermons.

    All the sons of these five brethren reigned
    By due success, and all their nephews late,
    Even thrice eleven descents, the crown retained. Edmund Spenser.

Wikipedia

  1. Success

    Success is the state or condition of meeting a defined range of expectations. It may be viewed as the opposite of failure. The criteria for success depend on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One person might consider a success what another person considers a failure, particularly in cases of direct competition or a zero-sum game. Similarly, the degree of success or failure in a situation may be differently viewed by distinct observers or participants, such that a situation that one considers to be a success, another might consider to be a failure, a qualified success or a neutral situation. For example, a film that is a commercial failure or even a box-office bomb can go on to receive a cult following, with the initial lack of commercial success even lending a cachet of subcultural coolness.It may also be difficult or impossible to ascertain whether a situation meets criteria for success or failure due to ambiguous or ill-defined definition of those criteria. Finding useful and effective criteria, or heuristics, to judge the failure or success of a situation may itself be a significant task.

ChatGPT

  1. success

    Success refers to the achievement of a desired aim, goal, or outcome. It is the accomplishment of an objective, often after effort or endeavor, and can be seen as the opposite of failure. Success is highly personal and can vary greatly from person to person based on individual values, goals, and perspectives. It is often associated with achievements in areas such as career, education, relationships, finance, or personal fulfillment.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Successnoun

    act of succeeding; succession

  2. Successnoun

    that which comes after; hence, consequence, issue, or result, of an endeavor or undertaking, whether good or bad; the outcome of effort

  3. Successnoun

    the favorable or prosperous termination of anything attempted; the attainment of a proposed object; prosperous issue

  4. Successnoun

    that which meets with, or one who accomplishes, favorable results, as a play or a player

  5. Etymology: [L. successus: cf. F. succs. See Succeed.]

Wikidata

  1. Success

    Success Corporation is a Japanese game developer and publisher, based in Tokyo, and founded in: June 1978. They are best known for their Cotton series of shooter games, Zoo Keeper and others. Their most recently published titles include Metal Saga for PlayStation 2 and Minon: Everyday Hero for the Wii console.

The Roycroft Dictionary

  1. success

    1. A sunset by Turner. 2. A stained-glass window through which one may see an ironic moon. 3. The final link in a chain of chalk. 4. To rise from the illusion of pursuit to the disillusion of possession. 5. An inability to further fletcherize. 6. Giving up the fight, being possessed of the fallacy that you have won. 7. Death's lullaby. 8. The accomplishment of one's best. 9. To write your name high upon the outhouse of a country tavern. 10. A constant sense of discontent, broken by brief periods of satisfaction on doing some specially good piece of work. 11. A matter of outliving your sins. 12. A subtle connivance of Nature for bringing about a man's defeat. 13. The realization of the estimate which you place upon yourself. 14. Voltage under control--keeping one hand on the transformer of your Kosmic Kilowatts. 15. A matter of the red corpuscle. 16. The thing that spoils many a good failure. 17. Something that is hideous to all but its victims.

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz

  1. SUCCESS

    A goal usually reached by those who employ their time in cultivating a more definite aim in life rather than in searching for a larger target.

Editors Contribution

  1. success

    To achieve a goal, plan, intention or task.

    Their success was attributed to the continued effort knowing this is what we chose and Unity and teamwork makes the dream work.


    Submitted by MaryC on April 14, 2020  

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'success' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #713

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'success' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1505

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'success' in Nouns Frequency: #289

How to pronounce success?

How to say success in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of success in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of success in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of success in a Sentence

  1. Elizabeth Outland Branner:

    Considering the events of the past weekend, Stephanie felt it best, that for the continued success of Main Street Lexington, she should step aside.

  2. Priti Patel:

    Just think of how much more success our economy could have if we had the power to reduce the burden of red tape and replace pointless EU rules with sensible domestic regulation.

  3. Folake Olowofoyeku:

    That's basically what the story is, is just people going to different places and just working and trying to build lives for themselves and hopefully success for their kids.

  4. Tim Considine:

    I was thinking, ‘Hey, this is a great success. [Frawley] hasn’t said anything to put anyone off,' i was pretty pleased with myself.

  5. Ray Attrill:

    This seems to be the first step on the road in what is going to be a long drawn out process, if there appears to be a genuine intent on both sides to use this summit as a platform for a serious negotiation of a peace treaty, I guess that's what success would look like today.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

success#1#1386#10000

Translations for success

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"success." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/success>.

Discuss these success definitions with the community:

1 Comment
  • Poonam Duggal
    Poonam Duggal
    achievement
    LikeReply9 years ago

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