promising

adjective

prom·​is·​ing ˈprä-mə-siŋ How to pronounce promising (audio)
Synonyms of promisingnext
: full of promise : likely to succeed or to yield good results
a promising new medicine
promisingly adverb

Synonyms of promising

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of promising in a Sentence

The neighborhood didn't look very promising. a promising writer who just may write the great American novel someday
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
One promising way forward is for cities and counties to invest in community hubs, such as public libraries, or create new gathering spaces across communities. — Fiona Doherty, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026 These were computationally screened based on structural similarity to DMTMSA, electronic characteristics, and other chemical properties before being narrowed to 200 promising candidates. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2026 But most importantly, Gakpo will make that forward run into the penalty area, gamble on the ball reaching him at the back post, and get into promising positions with more frequency than most wingers do. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2026 But in acquiring eight players over the last 24 hours — a list that includes multiple promising prospects and the son of a Giants Hall of Famer — the team’s front office exceeded industry standards and added even more talent to a rising farm system. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for promising

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of promising was in 1594

Rhymes for promising

See All Rhymes for promising

Browse Nearby Words

promise (someone) the stars/moon/earth/world
promising
promissor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Promising.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/promising. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

promising

adjective
prom·​is·​ing
ˈpräm-ə-siŋ
: likely to turn out well
a promising student
promisingly
-siŋ-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on promising

Nglish: Translation of promising for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All