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.
Through the organization, Silvers was educated more on promising drugs and treatments that may not provide a cure yet but do keep a diagnosed person healthier much longer.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
O’Neill is an outspoken supporter of research into the controversial field of anti-aging medicine, with some promising therapies and proposed treatments that are nonetheless plagued by pseudoscience and misleading claims.
From Salon • May 7, 2026
Researchers have identified a group of natural compounds from a Brazilian tree that show promising activity against the virus responsible for COVID-19.
From Science Daily • May 7, 2026
In a paper published in February, she and colleagues described the most promising energy storage system of this kind to date, at least in terms of its energy density.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Of course, I understand that he needs my help, even though I don’t remember promising to help the way he seems to think I did.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
