- 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.
Mitchell was also named the president of the group, which was promising to “focus on policy areas like taxation, economic development incentives, deregulation and zoning at the state and local level.”
From Salon • Jul. 9, 2026
Morocco have sought to identify and reach out to promising players with such roots at an early stage by deploying full-time scouts in France, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
I also consider that we have to do so safely and in a way that is fully accountable, he said, promising a thorough investigation.
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
For years, Wimbledon has been the one Grand Slam that never quite agreed with Gauff’s all-court game, a stretch that belied her promising breakthrough seven years ago.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
Akira rooted around in Nova’s desk for a pen and paper and quickly scribbled a note to Nova, apologizing for raiding her house and promising to pay her back for everything.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
