auspicious
Americanadjective
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promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable.
an auspicious occasion.
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favored by fortune; prosperous; fortunate.
adjective
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favourable or propitious
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archaic prosperous or fortunate
Usage
The use of auspicious to mean `very special' (as in this auspicious occasion ) should be avoided
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of auspicious
First recorded in 1600–10; equivalent to Latin auspici(um) auspice + -ous
Explanation
Use the adjective auspicious for a favorable situation or set of conditions. If you start a marathon by falling flat on your face, that's not an auspicious start. If something seems likely to bring success — either because it creates favorable conditions or you just consider it a lucky sign — label it auspicious. The word is related to auspice, "a divine omen," an old word with a colorful history. In Latin, an auspex was a person who observed the flight of birds to predict things about the future. Luckily, you no longer have to be a bird-watching fortune-teller to guess whether something is auspicious or not.
Vocabulary lists containing auspicious
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I know many wondered in 1976 whether it was an auspicious time to become a priest, just as Mr. McGurn asks whether now is an auspicious time to be ordained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The painted blue feet and Oakley collab sunglasses at the Kiko Kostadinov show felt auspicious as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Another auspicious Ojai debutant was the clarinetist Anthony McGill, principal at the New York Philharmonic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
It’s the time and the place that the movie occurs, too: fall 1990, an auspicious moment in tech history.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026
“It is an auspicious color,” Tsukiko comments, but she refuses to elaborate on her meaning.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
