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
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Recent Examples of gainful
At her age, being prickly was neither enchanting nor gainful.
—
Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025
Additionally, the bill would repeal regulations for schools like the gainful employment rule, which requires institutions to demonstrate their educational offerings are sufficient to help students land well-paying jobs.
—Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 2 June 2025
Yesterday’s pangrams were gainful, unfailing and unflagging.
—Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Her husband takes a stab at gainful employment with a food delivery service but quits because the wealthier class of Singaporean customers prove fussy and prone to complaining.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for gainful
Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025
Additionally, the bill would repeal regulations for schools like the gainful employment rule, which requires institutions to demonstrate their educational offerings are sufficient to help students land well-paying jobs.
—Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 2 June 2025
Yesterday’s pangrams were gainful, unfailing and unflagging.
—Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Her husband takes a stab at gainful employment with a food delivery service but quits because the wealthier class of Singaporean customers prove fussy and prone to complaining.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for gainful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gainful
Adjective
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Murakami is working on a two-year, $34 million deal, and in an era when some teams try to lock up young talent with long and lucrative contract extensions, a 25-game sample size is a little too small for Getz to start throwing out more years and dollars.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
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Sensing a lucrative market, global industries are now pivoting toward the region.—
Trista Kurniawan,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Many historic buildings in Naperville have been redeveloped for new and profitable second (or third) lives.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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In addition to raising ticket prices, carriers including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and United have increased their bag fees to help offset rising fuel prices, while other airlines have sought to cut costs by eliminating less profitable routes.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Together, these features make a HomeSafe warranty worthwhile.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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So my advice is to protect your dog from the pain of having this done, enjoy its floppy ears, and save that money for more worthwhile pet wellness care.—
Jane Sykes,
Washington Post,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gainful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gainful. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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