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 CEOs the moon hasn’t been a great way to get out-of-this-world results.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
"Promising a wife or a fiancée any long-term plans is difficult," says Denys, a 31-year-old drone operator, in a voice message sent from his position in the east of the country.
From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026
Promising he would lead "a government that works as hard as the people it serves", Mr Sarwar said his party would deliver 9,000 new apprenticeships if voted into power next May.
From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025
Promising me a drink of milk, sweet as cream, smooth as honey.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
