A strong success synonym names the kind of win you mean: achievement or accomplishment for a goal reached, victory or triumph for beating rivals, and breakthrough for the moment something finally works. Success itself is broad, which makes it handy and a little flat.
Need another word for success in a cover letter, a speech or a card for a friend's graduation? The groups below split the noun into five senses, from personal goals to box office hits. You will also find words for successful and succeed, plus the antonyms. For the adjective in depth, visit successful synonyms.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
achievement, accomplishment, triumph, victoryPart of speech
NounStrongest
triumph, landslide, sensationMost formal
attainment, realization, prosperityMost casual
win, hit, smashAntonyms
failure, defeat, flop, setbackWatch out
Fame and wealth are only one kind of success. Do not use them for reaching a personal goal.Word forms covered
success, successes, successful, succeed
Five kinds of success, five word sets
| What kind | Swaps | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A goal reached | achievement, accomplishment, milestone | Finishing the marathon was a real accomplishment. |
| Beating others | victory, triumph, win | The vote was a narrow victory for the union. |
| Money and status | prosperity, fame, standing | The farm brought the family years of prosperity. |
| A popular hit | hit, sensation, bestseller | Her cookbook became a bestseller. |
| A working result | breakthrough, progress, headway | The lab reported a breakthrough in battery life. |
Choose the row first. A promotion is an achievement, not a victory, unless you beat named rivals for it.
How strong each success synonym feels
The chip strip rises from mild to strong. Progress means you are moving the right way but not finished. A win adds a sense of competition, often small: a quick win for the team. An achievement is a finished goal that took real effort. A breakthrough means a long block has finally broken. A triumph is grand and public, with a note of celebration.
Big words lose power when used for small things. Calling a tidy spreadsheet a triumph sounds like a joke, which may be what you want.
Success in sentences, before and after
- The launch was a success becomes the launch was a hit or, more formally, the launch met every target.
- Her success in the exam surprised no one becomes her strong result in the exam surprised no one.
- The team celebrated its success becomes the team celebrated its victory.
- We had some success with the new method becomes we made some headway with the new method.
- His success came late in life becomes his fame came late in life or his prosperity came late in life, depending on what you mean.
On a resume, "Success in growing sales" tells the reader nothing. "Grew regional sales by eighteen percent in nine months" is the achievement, written as a fact. Strong verbs from the achieve synonyms page help here.
Successful, succeed and successes
Other forms need their own swaps.
- Successful (adjective): effective, thriving, prosperous, winning, fruitful. A fruitful meeting, a thriving shop, a winning formula.
- Succeed (verb): manage, pull off, make it, achieve, prevail. She managed to fix the leak sounds plainer than she succeeded in fixing it.
- Successes (plural): achievements, wins, high points, milestones. List your key achievements works better than list your successes on most forms.
Picking a word for work, school and cards
Resumes and reviews: achievement, milestone and result are clear and modest. Pair them with numbers. More career words appear in our career wording hub.
Essays: attainment and accomplishment suit formal prose. Speeches and cards: triumph and victory add warmth, as in congratulations on a well-earned triumph. Among friends, win and nailed it are perfectly natural.
The other side: failure and setback
Failure is the direct antonym and can sound harsh. Setback is gentler and implies you will recover. Defeat and loss are for contests. Flop is casual and fits shows, products and parties. Fiasco means a messy, embarrassing failure.
- The delay was a setback, not a disaster.
- The new flavor was a flop with kids.
Frequently asked questions
Which word for success sounds more polished?
Attainment, accomplishment and triumph all lift the tone. Triumph is the most dramatic, so save it for a big public win.
Which word for success suits a resume?
Achievement is the standard choice, as in key achievements. Back each one with a number or a clear result.
Is achievement the same as success?
Close, but achievement points to one goal you reached, while success can also mean a general state of doing well or being rich.
What do you call a big success?
A triumph, a smash, a sensation or a landslide, depending on the setting. Landslide fits elections and smash fits shows and songs.
What is the antonym of success?
Failure is the usual antonym. Setback, defeat and flop cover milder or more specific cases.
What is another word for successful?
Thriving, prosperous, effective and fruitful are good swaps. Thriving suits businesses and fruitful suits meetings or talks.