promising

1 of 2

adjective

prom·​is·​ing ˈprä-mə-siŋ 

: full of promise : likely to succeed or to yield good results

a promising new medicine

promisingly adverb

promising

2 of 2

present participle of promise entry 2

Synonyms of promising

Adjective

• bright
• optimistic
• hopeful
• encouraging
• likely

Examples of promising in a Sentence

Adjective

The neighborhood didn't look very promising.

a promising writer who just may write the great American novel someday

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In August 1989, 29-year-old Dana Beatty had an active social life in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a promising career at IBM. — Dateline Nbc, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026

But only Brecken has received a promising new drug to treat the condition. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 7 Oct. 2026

After a few months, Fei and Wang identified a promising new approach to building error-correcting codes. — Quanta Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026

Tens of millions of American children recently gained access to a promising wealth-building tool, though many of their parents probably aren’t even aware of it. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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