auspicious

[aw-spish-uhs]

adjective

1. promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable.

   an auspicious occasion.

2. favored by fortune; prosperous; fortunate.

auspicious

/ ɔːˈspɪʃəs /

adjective

1. favourable or propitious

2. archaic,  prosperous or fortunate

Usage

The use of auspicious to mean `very special' (as in this auspicious occasion ) should be avoided

Other Word Forms

• auspiciously adverb
• auspiciousness noun
• unauspicious adjective
• unauspiciously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of auspicious¹

First recorded in 1600–10; equivalent to Latin auspici(um) auspice + -ous

Example Sentences

It was not an auspicious start to his film career.

From BBC

Not an auspicious beginning to an hour-long conversation with England’s loudest and most punctual band.

From Los Angeles Times

Frustrating results that overshadowed an otherwise auspicious day.

From Los Angeles Times

The protests were auspicious, with an estimated 5 million people participating in 2,100 gatherings nationwide.

From Salon

Agathe’s vomiting on Oliver's shoes is not an auspicious start, nor is calling him “unbearable, arrogant, and totally stuck up” within earshot.

From Salon

Related Words

• advantageous 
• felicitous 
• opportune 
• promising 
• propitious