Thesaurus results for GAINFUL

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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 Or workers could simply have given up on Martinsville and moved elsewhere in search of gainful employment. — Gordon H. Hanson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021 See All Example Sentences for gainful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gainful

Adjective

Hollywood voice actors are split over AI voice cloning, as big-name performers license lucrative replicas while freelancers see jobs vanish and fear training their own replacements.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
As part of the earnings release, Nvidia made its case for why the OpenAI data center in Ohio is so lucrative.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of lucrative

Adjective

The stakes in this case are high for Meta, a market leader and one of the most profitable social media companies in the world.

— John Ruwitch, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
This age group is the most profitable for childcare providers, as the larger class sizes of pre-K children subsidize the cost of caring for infants and toddlers.

— Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of profitable

Adjective

So, was that sudden rise a weird quirk of an otherwise meaningless season or a worthwhile sign of things to come?

— Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
In the meantime, both Brooklyn Heights and Brooklyn Bridge Park will have to tolerate a decade of racket and disruption and hope the result is worthwhile.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of worthwhile

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 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of gainful

adjective

Example Sentences

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