promising

adjective

prom·​is·​ing ˈprä-mə-siŋ 

: full of promise : likely to succeed or to yield good results

a promising new medicine

promisingly adverb

Synonyms of promising

• bright
• optimistic
• hopeful
• encouraging
• likely

Examples of promising in a Sentence

The neighborhood didn't look very promising.

a promising writer who just may write the great American novel someday

Recent Examples on the Web

Purely from a pitching standpoint, though, Roupp’s promising April unraveled for two reasons. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 7 July 2026

When the next study goes viral The next promising study about cancer or another disease is almost certain to appear on your social media feed before long. — Dannell D. Boatman, The Conversation, 8 July 2026

Companies like Google and Snap are already exploring this promising enterprise market. — Cortney Harding, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Along with Gausman and Rogers, there’s another former Giants — promising rookie right-hander Spencer Miles. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for promising

• unpromising

Kids Definition

promising

adjective

prom·​is·​ing

ˈpräm-ə-siŋ

: likely to turn out well

a promising student

promisingly

-siŋ-lē

adverb