Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

auspicious

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of auspicious

1 having qualities which inspire hope
  • It was an auspicious time to open a new business.
Synonyms of auspicious

bright, encouraging, fair, golden, heartening, hopeful, likely, optimistic, promising, propitious, rose-colored, roseate, rosy, upbeat
Words Related to auspicious

cheering, comforting, reassuring, soothing

assured, confident, decisive, doubtless, positive, sure, unhesitating

beamish, bullish

favorable, good
Near Antonyms of auspicious

cheerless, comfortless

doubtful, dubious, uncertain

bearish, grim, negative, unfavorable

funereal, glum, gray (also grey), miserable, wretched
Antonyms of auspicious

bleak, dark, depressing, desperate, discouraging, disheartening, dismal, downbeat, dreary, gloomy, hopeless, inauspicious, pessimistic, unencouraging, unlikely, unpromising, unpropitious
2 pointing toward a happy outcome
  • began the season with an auspicious win against their strongest football rival
Synonyms of auspicious

bright, encouraging, favorable, golden, heartening, hopeful, promising, propitious
Words Related to auspicious

fortuitous, fortunate, happy, lucky, providential

advantageous, beneficial, profitable, prosperous, salutary
Near Antonyms of auspicious

unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky

calamitous, catastrophic, disastrous, fatal, ruinous

baleful, dark, dire, direful, doomy, foreboding, gloomy, ill, ill-boding, menacing, minatory, ominous, portentous, sinister, threatening
Antonyms of auspicious

dim, discouraging, disheartening, futureless, hopeless, inauspicious, unfavorable, unpromising, unpropitious

Synonym Discussion of auspicious

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.
    • favorable weather conditions
auspicious applies to something taken as a sign or omen promising success before or at the start of an event.
    • an auspicious beginning
propitious may also apply to beginnings but often implies a continuing favorable condition.
    • a propitious time for starting a business

Learn More about auspicious

  1. See words that rhyme with auspicious Dictionary: Definition of auspicious Spanish Central: Translation of auspicious Nglish: Translation of auspicious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of auspicious for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up auspicious? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

bloviate

play

to speak or write verbosely and windily

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. lowlife 'a person of low moral character'

  2. kakistocracy 'government by the worst people'

  3. slimeball 'a morally repulsive or odious person'

  4. salacious 'arousing or appealing to sexual desire'

  5. oligarch 'government in which a small group exercises control'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image236659401
Words from Letters in the Greek Alphabet

When English borrows from another alphabet

alt-5ada140ed3e28
'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Why not both?

alt-5ad8fc71357ed
Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

No, it's not a coiffure trend

alt-5ad8d3361fb97
Where 'Cliff-hangers' Come From

You're on the edge of your seat

Ask the Editors

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

image1926873504
Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.

Take the quiz
cats-on-impossible-timber
More Confusing Words—Quiz

How many of these commonly confused words do you know?

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game