Meaning & use
proven success
Last updated
Meaning
phrasecountable
something that has been shown to work well or achieve good results over time
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a proven success' or 'proven successes'. The adjective 'proven' comes before the noun.
Patterns
- a proven success
- proven success in something
- prove a success
The new teaching method has been a proven success in several schools.
After two years, the recycling program is a proven success.
They want to invest only in projects with a proven success record.
Common combinations
- a proven success
- The vaccine was a proven success in trials.
- proven success record
- The company has a proven success record in this market.
- proven success in
- She has proven success in managing large teams.
- become a proven success
- The app became a proven success after six months.
Synonyms and how they differ
- proven track record
- This phrase focuses on a person's or company's history of achievements, not on one thing that succeeded.
- sure thing
- Informal and stronger; it suggests there is no doubt at all, while 'proven success' is based on past evidence.
Commonly confused: proven success or proved?
proven success vs proved
'Proved' is the usual past tense of 'prove' (e.g. 'He proved it'), but as an adjective before a noun, 'proven' is much more common in phrases like 'proven success'.
Practice
The new sales strategy has been a ______ success in Asia.
Choose one answer.
'Proven' is the adjective meaning 'shown to work', so it fits before 'success'. 'Proving' would need a different structure (e.g. 'is proving successful'), and 'proof' is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “proven success”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.