profitable

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

prof·it·able BrE [ˈprɒfɪtəbl] NAmE [ˈprɑːfɪtəbl] adjective
1. that makes or is likely to make money
•a highly profitable business
•a profitable investment
•It is usually more profitable to sell direct to the public.
2. that gives sb an advantage or a useful result
Syn: ↑rewarding
•a profitable experience
•She spent a profitable afternoon in the library.
Derived Words: ↑profitability ▪ ↑profitably

Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French, from the verb profiter, from Latin profectus ‘progress, profit’, from proficere ‘to advance’, from pro- ‘on behalf of’ + facere ‘do’.

Synonyms:
successful
profitable • commercial • lucrative • economic
These words all describe sb/sth that is making or is likely to make money.
successful • making a lot of money, especially by being popular: ▪ The play was very successful on Broadway. ◇ ▪ The company has had another successful year.
profitable • making a profit: ▪ a highly profitable business
commercial • [only before noun] making or intended to make a profit: ▪ The movie was not a commercial success ▪ (= made no profit) ▪.
lucrative • (of business or work) producing or paying a large amount of money; making a large profit: ▪ They do a lot of business in lucrative overseas markets.
economic • (often used in negative sentences) (of a process, business or activity) producing enough profit to continue: ▪ Small local shops stop being economic when a supermarket opens up nearby.
a successful/profitable/lucrative business
a successful/profitable/lucrative year
a(n) commercial/economic success

Example Bank:
•Some churches have found it profitable to hold services during the week.
•The business is not really profitable enough.
•What can be done to keep the business profitable?
•a highly profitable chain of shops
•confident that the venture will prove profitable
•It was, generally, a profitable meeting.
•She runs a highly profitable business.
•The shares turned out to be a profitable investment.


Example Bank:
•The company is now showing signs of a return to profitability.
•concerns about the declining profitability of the industry
•measures to achieve greater profitability
•Downsizing is one way to increase profitability.