promising
adjective
prom·is·ing ˈprä-mə-siŋ 
: full of promise : likely to succeed or to yield good results
a promising new medicine
promisingly adverb
Synonyms
- auspicious
- bright
- encouraging
- fair
- golden
- heartening
- hopeful
- likely
- optimistic
- propitious
- rose-colored
- roseate
- rosy
- upbeat
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The neighborhood didn't look very promising. a promising writer who just may write the great American novel someday
Recent Examples on the Web There’s definitely some gas in its tank in the opening sections, which are somewhat promising, but then the story takes a predictable route that fails to deliver enough suspense or interest to go the full distance. 
Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 Arch Manning pledged to Texas over Alabama on June 23 in the most promising Longhorn headline in years. Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, 8 Sep. 2022 The most promising options tend to be the most expensive. Christopher Flavelle, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2022 O’Connell routinely stayed after practice for extra snaps, gladly fine-tuned his skills with the scout team and even opted to stay when other schools presented more promising possibilities. Tim Bielik, cleveland, 1 Sep. 2022 American art lost one of its most promising young artists. Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 Perhaps the most promising effort to increase accountability came in 1969, when Congress imposed a small excise tax on private foundations with all funds meant to support the IRS’s Exempt Organizations (EO) office. Jasper Craven, The New Republic, 29 Aug. 2022 YouTube channel, where Bosio, bass player of the iconic Soda Stereo, will analyze them and select the most promising talents to further expand their careers via advertisement, promotion, and more. Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2022 What would be even more promising is seeing Apple's approach to repairability evolve. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 26 Aug. 2022 See More
Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 Arch Manning pledged to Texas over Alabama on June 23 in the most promising Longhorn headline in years. Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, 8 Sep. 2022 The most promising options tend to be the most expensive. Christopher Flavelle, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2022 O’Connell routinely stayed after practice for extra snaps, gladly fine-tuned his skills with the scout team and even opted to stay when other schools presented more promising possibilities. Tim Bielik, cleveland, 1 Sep. 2022 American art lost one of its most promising young artists. Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 Perhaps the most promising effort to increase accountability came in 1969, when Congress imposed a small excise tax on private foundations with all funds meant to support the IRS’s Exempt Organizations (EO) office. Jasper Craven, The New Republic, 29 Aug. 2022 YouTube channel, where Bosio, bass player of the iconic Soda Stereo, will analyze them and select the most promising talents to further expand their careers via advertisement, promotion, and more. Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2022 What would be even more promising is seeing Apple's approach to repairability evolve. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 26 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1594, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
promising
adjective
prom·is·ing
ˈprä-mə-siŋ
: likely to turn out well or be good
a promising start
promising 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in bright
having qualities which inspire hope a promising writer who just may write the great American novel someday Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- bright
- optimistic
- hopeful
- encouraging
- likely
- propitious
- rosy
- auspicious
- upbeat
- golden
- heartening
- fair
- reassuring
- positive
- favorable
- good
- roseate
- confident
- assured
- comforting
- doubtless
- cheering
- sure
- soothing
- rose-colored
- decisive
- unhesitating
- bullish
- beamish
- eupeptic
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unlikely
- desperate
- discouraging
- unpromising
- dark
- hopeless
- bleak
- dismal
- gloomy
- pessimistic
- inauspicious
- depressing
- dreary
- doubtful
- uncertain
- disheartening
- dubious
- cheerless
- unpropitious
- negative
- unfavorable
- unencouraging
- grim
- downbeat
- miserable
- comfortless
- gray
- grey
- wretched
- bearish
- glum
- funereal
2
as in encouraging
pointing toward a happy outcome all the signs for the new business are promising Synonyms & Similar Words
- encouraging
- favorable
- hopeful
- bright
- happy
- propitious
- golden
- lucky
- beneficial
- auspicious
- heartening
- profitable
- advantageous
- fortunate
- prosperous
- fortuitous
- salutary
- providential
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unpromising
- discouraging
- unfavorable
- hopeless
- inauspicious
- dim
- unpropitious
- unfortunate
- disheartening
- unhappy
- disastrous
- unlucky
- ruinous
- catastrophic
- fatal
- threatening
- calamitous
- ominous
- futureless
- dark
- sinister
- menacing
- gloomy
- dire
- portentous
- ill
- direful
- baleful
- foreboding
- minatory
- ill-boding
- doomy
promising
2 of 2verb
1
as in vowing
to make a solemn declaration of intent they promised to keep in touch with us after they moved away Synonyms & Similar Words
- vowing
- pledging
- swearing
- insisting
- agreeing
- ensuring
- guaranteeing
- covenanting
- undertaking
- declaring
- consenting
- giving one's word
- assenting
- betrothing
- affirming
- acceding
- engaging
- affiancing
- contracting
- asserting
- trothing
- plighting
- averring
- avowing
- warranting
- avouching
2
as in predicting
to show signs of a favorable or successful outcome given the cast, the new sitcom promises to be an excellent show Synonyms & Similar Words
- predicting
- warning
- hinting
- indicating
- suggesting
- boding
- anticipating
- auguring
- foreboding
- bidding fair
- forecasting
- forboding
- presaging
- foreseeing
- forewarning
- foretelling
- prognosticating
- portending
- implying
- intimating
- signifying
- prophesying
- foreshadowing
- prefiguring
- betokening
- divining
- alluding
- presignifying
- foreknowing
- harbingering
- connoting
- insinuating