Success is the achievement of an aim or goal. It can also refer to a person or thing that achieves its aim: "The concert was a great success." Hard work and consistency are the keys to success in language learning.
What Does Success Mean?
Success comes from the Latin successus ("a good result, an advance"), itself from succedere ("to come after, to prosper"). It entered English in the 16th century. The same Latin root gives us succeed, successor, and succession. Interestingly, classical Latin used successus for any outcome — good or bad — and the strictly positive meaning developed over time in English.
In modern English, success is one of the most versatile high-frequency nouns in the language. It functions as both a countable noun ("the launch was a success") and an uncountable noun ("I wish you every success"). It appears across registers — from everyday conversation ("that party was a real success!") to academic writing ("factors that predict academic success") and business language ("a commercially successful product").
Understanding the whole word family will dramatically extend your range: the verb is succeed, the adjective is successful, the adverb is successfully, and the negatives are failure, unsuccessful, and unsuccessfully. Pay special attention to the verb pattern: succeed in doing (not succeed to do).
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| She worked hard and her plan was a success. | A2 — countable noun, basic past tense |
| Hard work and consistency are the keys to success in language learning. | B1 — uncountable noun, fixed phrase key to success |
| The marketing campaign was a huge commercial success, doubling the company's revenue. | B1 — adjective + noun collocation, business context |
| Whether you define success by wealth, happiness, or recognition depends entirely on your personal values. | B2 — noun as direct object of define, subordinate clause |
| The long-term success of any educational reform hinges on the sustained commitment of teachers, policymakers, and communities alike. | C1 — compound noun modifier, formal academic register, complex syntax |
Collocations
Learning words in their natural combinations is far more effective than memorising them in isolation. Here are the most useful collocations with success:
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| achieve success | She worked for years to achieve success in her field. |
| enjoy success | The band enjoyed great success throughout the 1990s. |
| measure success | How do you measure success in the classroom? |
| ensure success | Careful preparation helps ensure the success of any project. |
| a great / huge success | The fundraising event was a huge success. |
| academic success | Many factors influence academic success beyond raw intelligence. |
| commercial success | The film was a critical failure but a commercial success. |
| overnight success | People called her an overnight success, ignoring ten years of hard work. |
| key to success | Consistent practice is the key to success in any language. |
| wish someone every success | We wish you every success in your new role. |
Usage Notes
- Countable vs uncountable: Use a success when referring to a specific event or person ("the launch was a success"; "she is a real success"). Use success without an article when referring to the general state or concept ("I wish you success"; "the road to success").
- Verb pattern — succeed: Always use succeed in + gerund: "She succeeded in passing the exam." Never use a to-infinitive after succeed.
- Word order with adjectives: Adjectives of degree and type come before success: "a remarkable commercial success" (degree + type + noun). This order rarely changes.
- Register: In formal writing, prefer achieve success or attain success over the informal make it or crack it.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She succeeded to pass all her exams.
She succeeded in passing all her exams. (succeed + in + gerund)
I hope you will have a success in your new job.
I hope you will have success in your new job. (uncountable — no article in this context)
His speech was very success.
His speech was very successful. (success is a noun, not an adjective — use successful)