1
Profitable enterprise
Generating considerably more revenue than cost.
Example
Repairing specialised equipment became a lucrative business.
lucrative
/ˈluːkrətɪv/ · LOO-kruh-tivadjective
Producing substantial profit or financial gain.
Use lucrative for work, markets, contracts, or opportunities that generate a large financial return.
What lucrative Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Well-paid opportunity
Offering substantial financial reward.
Example
The engineer left research for a more lucrative consulting role.
3
Valuable market
Creating strong prospects for commercial gain.
Example
Publishers competed for access to the lucrative educational market.
Use lucrative Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Repairing specialised equipment became a lucrative business.
The engineer left research for a more lucrative consulting role.
Publishers competed for access to the lucrative educational market.
Precision Matters
Lucrative overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
lucrative
vs.Specifically concerns financial profit.
advantageous
Means beneficial in any relevant way.
lucrative
vs.Describes high returns or earnings.
exorbitant
Describes an unreasonably high price or cost.
lucrative
vs.Produces considerable wealth.
impoverished
Lacks adequate resources—the contrast.
lucrative
vs.Concerns profit rather than motive.
benevolent
Concerns kindness and goodwill.
Test lucrative in Context
The business produces substantial profit.
1
Because demand for the rare material far exceeded supply, recycling it became a surprisingly ___ business with unusually high profit margins.