propitious

adjective pro·pi·tious \ prə-ˈpi-shəs \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of propitious

1 : favorably disposed : benevolent

2 : being a good omen : auspicious

propitious sign

3 : tending to favor : advantageous

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propitiously

adverb

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propitiousness

noun

See propitious defined for English-language learners

See propitious defined for kids

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Examples of propitious in a Sentence

Now is a propitious time to start a business.
the success of the first big movie in May was a propitious start for the summer season of blockbusters

Recent Examples of propitious from the Web

Source: Thor Industries It’s a propitious time for towable RVs.

— Bloomberg.com, "Airstream Sheds Its Metal With the New ‘Nest’," 12 Apr. 2018
The omens are propitious for a major advance in trade relations.

— holman w. jenkins, WSJ, "Trump’s Trade Tactic Might Work," 6 Apr. 2018
But their timing was propitious: smartphones were proliferating, broadband was becoming affordable, and online payments were in place.

— Bloomberg.com, "How Dotcom Survivors Built a $950 Million Startup in India," 19 Mar. 2018
The timing was propitious; Hong Kong’s economy grew by 9% a year on average in that decade.

— The Economist, "Li Ka-shing cedes a sprawling empire to his son," 24 Mar. 2018
The Green family commenced collecting at a propitious moment.

— nina burleigh, Newsweek, "The Messiah Cometh: Hobby Lobby's Museum of the Bible Descends on the Nation's Capital," 7 Apr. 2016
Nor would this seem to be a propitious historical moment to fret that the Bearcats' offense perhaps relies too much on sheer offensive rebounding might alone.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Where Billy Hamilton, Amir Garrett, Joey Votto and the rest of the Cincinnati Reds stand," 6 Mar. 2018
But the timing of the Greenway development was propitious.

— ed o’loughlin, New York Times, "Success of Irish Trail Shows That Maybe You Can Eat the Scenery," 26 Feb. 2018
The timing is propitious, Haskell says, sitting in her office where tall poster boards pinned with exhibition images lean against the walls.

— holly millea, Smithsonian, "A Preview of Grant Wood’s New Retrospective at the Whitney," 22 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'propitious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Propitious, which comes to us through Middle English from the Latin word propitius (same meaning as "propitious"), is a synonym of "favorable" and "auspicious." All three essentially mean "pointing toward a happy outcome," with some differences of emphasis. "Favorable" implies that the persons involved in a situation are approving or helpful, or that circumstances are advantageous ("favorable weather conditions"). "Auspicious" usually applies to a sign or omen that promises success before or at the start of an event ("an auspicious beginning"). "Propitious" may also apply to beginnings, but it often suggests a continuing promising condition ("propitious conditions for an alliance").

Origin and Etymology of propitious

Middle English propycyous, from Anglo-French propicius, from Latin propitius, probably from pro- for + petere to seek — more at pro-, feather

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

propitious Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of propitious

favorable, auspicious, propitious mean pointing toward a happy outcome. favorable implies that the persons involved are approving or helpful or that the circumstances are advantageous.