promising

adjective

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

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 For the game, the Jayhawks shot 60.3% from the field, a promising sign after the offense had dipped in recent games. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 This is less the case when 3 Body Problem shifts its focus to the past and zeroes in on the life of Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng), a promising young astrophysicist whose entire world is upended by the onset of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024 The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, part of the US Department of Energy, used a Microsoft system that includes AI models and high-performance computing to winnow 32 million potential inorganic materials to 18 promising candidates in less than four days, Microsoft said in January. Olesya Dmitracova, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 But 40 years ago, the characteristics of a promising root system were ill-defined. Maddie Bender, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024 With his promising performances, this year, he was moved to be the oboe principal in the Honors Symphony Orchestra. Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2024 With barely any drama between the two — aside from what appeared to be some awkwardly silent moments on their getaway to the Dominican Republic — Brittany and Kenneth seemed to be a pretty promising couple. Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Jose Miranda entered 2023 looking to build upon a promising rookie season and establish himself as a major leaguer. Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2024 Dodgers relief pitcher Blake Treinen is expected to travel with the team to South Korea as a member of its active roster after a promising bullpen session Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts said. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'promising.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of promising was in 1594

Cite this Entry

“Promising.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/promising. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

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