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

McWorter bought 80 acres for $100 and in 1836 founded New Philadelphia, a promising city of brotherly love, in Pike County, 20 miles from the slave state of Missouri. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026

Employee ownership offers a promising path forward that is rooted in bipartisan ideals and designed to ensure economic prosperity is widely shared. —Matt Helmer, Fortune, 23 May 2026

At the turn of the millennium, soccer in the United States occupied a fragile yet promising position. —Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026

This is a promising sign for SpaceX’s plans for new launch pads at Cape Canaveral, Florida, which use the new Starbase pad as a design template. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 23 May 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