Synonym Chooser

How is the word propitious different from other adjectives like it?

The words auspicious and favorable are common synonyms of propitious. While all three words mean "pointing toward a happy outcome," propitious may also apply to beginnings but often implies a continuing favorable condition.

a propitious time for starting a business

In what contexts can auspicious take the place of propitious?

In some situations, the words auspicious and propitious are roughly equivalent. However, auspicious applies to something taken as a sign or omen promising success before or at the start of an event.

an auspicious beginning

Where would favorable be a reasonable alternative to propitious?

The synonyms favorable and propitious are sometimes interchangeable, but favorable implies that the persons involved are approving or helpful or that the circumstances are advantageous.

favorable weather conditions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of propitious If this propitious moment holds, the path to lasting stability is to further contain the Iranian threat, with Washington working by, with, and through its partners. James Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 4 July 2025 And the present environment, with harsh temperatures, intense radiation, and a sparse atmosphere, isn’t exactly propitious for life. Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 19 Apr. 2025 But the timing of his current warning may be propitious. Michael Peregrine, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025 This might have been an even more propitious sign of what was to come. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for propitious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propitious
Adjective
  • Rookie guard Dylan Harper, the second overall pick, and 2024 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle form a promising core that has San Antonio’s rebuild ahead of schedule.
    Evan Dammarell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Health journalist Tara Haelle delves into promising options, including beta cell transplants that would eliminate the need for immunosuppressive drugs.
    Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Begin mapping out the end of the season, identifying favorable matchups to exploit.
    Andy Behrens, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The orders come at a literal higher cost, but until POKS can establish partnerships with more favorable retailers, Amazon is its best and only option.
    Mara Weinraub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Their observations revealed an ULIRG hidden just behind the bright quasar, invisible to traditional optical telescopes.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The bright pink and green exterior of the secluded river lodge perfectly matched her and her fiancé's wedding colors.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Considering the Rangers’ depth issues over the last few years, that’s a very encouraging start.
    Sean Gentille, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Doe cited the statewide population growth as one of several encouraging data points.
    Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Joe Biden 'optimistic' in cancer fight Former President Joe Biden is now receiving radiation therapy for his prostate cancer, a spokesperson for the former president confirmed to ABC News.
    Molly Nagle, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Throughout the 1970s, as much as Nicholson’s rebels or Beatty’s hopeless romantics, Keaton’s optimistic dreamers repeatedly collided with the realities of the times, measuring the distance between what the counterculture thought was possible and what the world would actually allow.
    Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Propitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propitious. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on propitious

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