profitable

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈpɹɑ.fɪ.tə.bl̩/ UK /ˈpɹɒf.ɪ.tə.bl̩/ See IPA manual

Freq #11115

Meanings

1

adj
Producing a profit; making money.

The new shop quickly became profitable.
2

adj
Useful or beneficial.

We had a very profitable discussion about the project.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

beneficial lucrative

Opposites

unprofitable

Word family

Derived forms disprofitablehyperprofitableimprofitablenonprofitableprofitability profitableness profitablysubprofitablesuperprofitableunprofitable

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

profitable speculation
risky buying or investing that results in a financial gain

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

The plainest words are the most profitable oratory in the weightiest matters

Etymology

From Old French profitable, equivalent to profit + -able.

profitable Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# profitable

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈpɹɑ.fɪ.tə.bl̩/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpɹɒf.ɪ.tə.bl̩/
**Frequency rank:** 11115

## Meanings
1. Producing a profit; making money.
2. Useful or beneficial.

## Examples
- The new shop quickly became profitable.
- We had a very profitable discussion about the project.

## Synonyms
- beneficial
- lucrative

## Antonyms
- unprofitable

## Derived Forms
- disprofitable
- hyperprofitable
- improfitable
- nonprofitable
- profitability
- profitableness
- profitably
- subprofitable
- superprofitable
- unprofitable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: profitable

## Etymology
From Old French profitable, equivalent to profit + -able.

## AI Etymology
Profitable comes from Old French profitable, equivalent to profit + -able. The historical chain includes profitable (Old French). In present-day English it covers producing a profit; making money and useful or beneficial. The wider family includes derived forms such as disprofitable, hyperprofitable, improfitable, nonprofitable, profitability.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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