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

• 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

Carter Bryant: With his dynamic athleticism and two-way potential, Bryant could quickly become one of the most promising young players in OKC. —Nick Crain, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Larry Birnbaum, a professor of computer science at Northwestern University was recruiting a promising PhD to become a graduate researcher. —Alexandra Sternlicht, Fortune, 25 June 2025

The tech giant’s big-budget racing drama, starring Brad Pitt as a Formula One driver who is coerced out of retirement to coach a slick rookie (Damson Idris), is targeting a promising $50 million to $60 million in its debut. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 25 June 2025

Sacramento has recently eliminated parking minimums and density caps citywide to promote new housing development, a promising approach to address housing scarcity. —Mahdi E Diab, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025

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