Successful, a.
Resulting in success; assuring, or promotive of, success; accomplishing what was proposed; having the desired effect; hence, prosperous; fortunate; happy; as, a successful use of medicine; a successful experiment; a successful enterprise. Welcome, nephews, from successful wars. Shak.
Syn. -- Happy; prosperous; fortunate; auspicious; lucky. See Fortunate. -- Suc*cess"ful*ly, adv. -- Suc*cess"ful*ness, n.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for successful; he lists it under fortunate, happy.
Where he writes about it:
A man is successful in any case if he achieves or gains what he seeks; he is known as a successful man if he has achieved or gained worthy objects of endeavor; he is fortunate or lucky if advantages have come to him without or beyond his direct planning or achieving. — from fortunate