promising
adjective
prom·is·ing
ˈprä-mə-siŋ 
: 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
The village’s Black residents, including Hettie, are energized by a promising but tangled effort to redress a long-standing injustice—the unequal compensation received by Black South African soldiers in the Second World War.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
In one promising sign, ABB’s pulp and paper division has been renamed the pulp, paper and fiber division.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2026
Other promising areas of research include looking at aspects of the mental and physical health of the person trying to get pregnant, including their uterine microbiome and cardiovascular health; the latter could affect uterine blood flow.
—Sarah Elizabeth Richards, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2026
Devastating, scorching March The Sierra snowpack saw some promising accumulations earlier in the winter, especially between late December and early January, and during a very cold storm in mid-February that produced a lot of snow.
—Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for promising
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.
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
In one promising sign, ABB’s pulp and paper division has been renamed the pulp, paper and fiber division.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2026
Other promising areas of research include looking at aspects of the mental and physical health of the person trying to get pregnant, including their uterine microbiome and cardiovascular health; the latter could affect uterine blood flow.
—Sarah Elizabeth Richards, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2026
Devastating, scorching March The Sierra snowpack saw some promising accumulations earlier in the winter, especially between late December and early January, and during a very cold storm in mid-February that produced a lot of snow.
—Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for promising
Cite this Entry
“Promising.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/promising. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
