SAT Basic
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successful

/səkˈsɛsfəl/
English Definition
adj. having achieved a goal or purpose
中文释义
成功的
Example Sentence

The successful restoration of the ancient temple required decades of careful research and collaboration among experts.

古庙的成功修复需要数十年的细致研究和专家间的合作。

Synonyms
prosperous triumphant victorious
Antonyms
unsuccessful failed
Seen in practice — from the Digital SAT question bank

A profile of an inventor opens by describing her decades of failed prototypes in vivid detail, then spends its remaining sections explaining how those very failures directly informed the design choices behind her eventual successful invention.

From a Text Structure and Purpose question · Craft and Structure

- In a field study, researchers observed a herd returning to the same covered water source days later and successfully uncovering it.

From a Rhetorical Synthesis question · Expression of Ideas

- Rising temperatures and reduced rainfall on Socotra now threaten the tree's ability to reproduce successfully.

From a Rhetorical Synthesis question · Expression of Ideas

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Practice — Definition Match

Which choice best defines “successful”?

  1. A Relating to a large city
  2. B Causing anxiety, sorrow, or pain
  3. C Having achieved a goal or purpose
  4. D Not long ago
Show answer

C — Having achieved a goal or purpose. “successful” means having achieved a goal or purpose.

Practice — Which Word Fits?

Which word means “having achieved a goal or purpose”?

  1. A metropolitan
  2. B recent
  3. C successful
  4. D distressing
Show answer

C — successful. “successful” means having achieved a goal or purpose.

Common questions about “successful”

What does “successful” mean?

successful — having achieved a goal or purpose. In Chinese: 成功的.

How do you pronounce “successful”?

successful is pronounced /səkˈsɛsfəl/.

How is “successful” used in a sentence?

The successful restoration of the ancient temple required decades of careful research and collaboration among experts. (古庙的成功修复需要数十年的细致研究和专家间的合作。)

What are synonyms for “successful”?

prosperous, triumphant, victorious — all close in meaning to successful (having achieved a goal or purpose).

What is the opposite of “successful”?

unsuccessful, failed — each the opposite of successful (having achieved a goal or purpose).

Is “successful” an SAT vocabulary word?

Yes. successful is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.

Progress / 学习进度
86%
through SAT Basic
This level: 0 mastered (0% of the level)
The Digital SAT tests vocabulary through Words in Context questions, never as a standalone definition. Learn the word, then use it against a real passage.