PROMISING Synonyms: 152 Similar and Opposite Words

promising 1 of 2

adjective

ˈprä-mə-siŋ

Definition of promising

as in bright

having qualities which inspire hope a promising writer who just may write the great American novel someday

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in encouraging

pointing toward a happy outcome all the signs for the new business are promising

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

promising

2 of 2

verb

present participle of promise

as in vowing

to make a solemn declaration of intent they promised to keep in touch with us after they moved away

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in predicting

to show signs of a favorable or successful outcome given the cast, the new sitcom promises to be an excellent show

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 promising

Adjective

From these arrangements, the mathematician picked out the ones that looked most promising. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026 And this doesn’t have to be expensive—a very promising option is L’Oréal Paris’s Ever Pure Thickening Sulfate-Free Shampoo. — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 1 Sep. 2026

Verb

Samba received two vials of antivenin, and initial blood work appeared promising. — Gagandeep Singh, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026 First Up Shares of Moderna retreated by nearly 24% Thursday on the heels of their record-setting 176% stock surge, which was prompted by promising news of their personalized cancer vaccine. — Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for promising

Recent Examples of Synonyms for promising

Adjective

Put the cutting in a warm place with bright, indirect light, keep the soil evenly moist, and open the bag once each day to let in fresh air.

— Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 30 Aug. 2026
Mystery Men Throw it back to the Y2K era with this 1999 comedy starring a plethora of the era’s brightest comedic talents, including Ben Stiller, Kel Mitchell, Janeane Garofolo, and Paul Reubens.

— Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of bright

Adjective

The Seahawks are high on Stephens, a fifth-round rookie out of Iowa who had an encouraging preseason.

— Andrew Destin, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Investors welcomed some encouraging signals about demand for artificial intelligence from two big tech companies, Dell and Palo Alto Networks.

— Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of encouraging

Verb

After vowing to return from his latest calf injury before the end of the season, Juan Soto came back before the end of August, a full month before the New York Mets enter their offseason.

— Will Sammon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Federal regulators, maritime agencies and Long Beach officials are crafting safety and oversight rules, vowing transparent public engagement.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of vowing

Verb

Processor defenses leave a tiny opening Modern processors improve performance by predicting which path a program is likely to follow and beginning the work before the correct path is confirmed.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
But predicting what will be Roman's greatest accomplishments over the course of its five-year-mission is a tricky business.

— Joe Palca, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of predicting

Adjective

Demographic experts are cautiously optimistic about the new scheme, which appears to offer more sustained and holistic support for families.

— Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
The 192-mile electric figure is reported as CLTC, which is China's relatively optimistic test cycle.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of optimistic

Adjective

In addition, environmental conditions are quite favorable for intensification while Edouard remains over water.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Officials, however, said favorable weather in the coming days could help in the battle to control the blazes.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of favorable

Verb

Kito showed Becerra a picture of the then-congressman swearing him in as a neighborhood council president more than a decade ago.

— Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
As Sportico detailed last year, McEnroe remembers MSG employees asking Oakley to leave and Oakley responding by swearing at them.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of swearing

Verb

Ukraine is warning the world that airlines and other civilian aircraft must cease operations in Russian airspace or risk being caught in crossfire.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
Defense attorneys challenged the reliability of DNA tests and unsuccessfully fought against the public release of the Twiggs interview, warning prosecutors would characterize it as a confession.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of warning

Browse Nearby Words

promises

promising

promisingly

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Promising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/promising. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of promising

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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