- present participle of promise.
promising
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of promising
Explanation
Promising things are encouraging or hopeful — they give you every sign that they'll be successful in the future. A promising early spring hints that the rest of the season will be warm and full of flowers. A promising ballet dancer is young, but off to a very talented start. If you pick up a novel in a bookstore and the first few pages look promising, you'll probably buy it. Promising things are full of promise, "an indication that something will occur." The Latin root is promittere, "put forth," from pro-, "forward," and mittere, "send."
Vocabulary lists containing promising
Shine On, Luz Véliz!
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Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken?
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Honestly Elliott
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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.
Promising better days ahead for her long-suffering compatriots, Rodriguez has ploughed $300 million from a first US sale of Venezuelan crude into shoring up the country's ailing currency, the bolivar.
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
Promising managers inside Hasbro chosen to play the game become CEOs for the day, facing decisions like whether to push into electronic games or go all-in on plush toys.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026
Promising yourself "I'll always go for a run on a Wednesday" or "I'm never drinking again" just sets you up for a fall.
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025
Promising ones go before what the company calls “sensory panels” of consumers to taste test.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025
Promising in a foreign language feels less like lying.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
