Synonyms of propitious

propitious

adjective

prə-ˈpi-shəs 

1

as in promising

having qualities which inspire hope

the success of the first big movie in May was a propitious start for the summer season of blockbusters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• promising
• bright
• optimistic
• auspicious
• hopeful
• likely
• encouraging
• rosy
• golden
• favorable
• upbeat
• fair
• heartening
• positive
• good
• roseate
• reassuring
• rose-colored
• doubtless
• decisive
• comforting
• soothing
• confident
• sure
• assured
• cheering
• bullish
• unhesitating
• beamish
• eupeptic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unlikely
• dark
• desperate
• inauspicious
• gloomy
• dismal
• unpromising
• hopeless
• discouraging
• pessimistic
• bleak
• dreary
• depressing
• unpropitious
• uncertain
• disheartening
• doubtful
• cheerless
• unfavorable
• dubious
• negative
• downbeat
• grim
• unencouraging
• comfortless
• gray
• miserable
• grey
• bearish
• wretched
• glum
• funereal

2

as in favorable

pointing toward a happy outcome

a propitious time for starting a business

Synonyms & Similar Words

• promising
• favorable
• encouraging
• bright
• hopeful
• happy
• auspicious
• golden
• lucky
• fortunate
• beneficial
• heartening
• advantageous
• fortuitous
• profitable
• providential
• prosperous
• salutary

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfavorable
• unpropitious
• inauspicious
• unpromising
• discouraging
• dim
• hopeless
• unfortunate
• disheartening
• unhappy
• unlucky
• fatal
• disastrous
• catastrophic
• calamitous
• ruinous
• futureless
• dark
• ill
• ominous
• gloomy
• sinister
• portentous
• dire
• threatening
• direful
• baleful
• menacing
• foreboding
• minatory
• ill-boding
• doomy

Synonym Chooser

How is the word propitious different from other adjectives like it?

The words auspicious and favorable are common synonyms of propitious. While all three words mean "pointing toward a happy outcome," propitious may also apply to beginnings but often implies a continuing favorable condition.

a propitious time for starting a business

In what contexts can auspicious take the place of propitious?

In some situations, the words auspicious and propitious are roughly equivalent. However, auspicious applies to something taken as a sign or omen promising success before or at the start of an event.

an auspicious beginning

Where would favorable be a reasonable alternative to propitious?

The synonyms favorable and propitious are sometimes interchangeable, but favorable implies that the persons involved are approving or helpful or that the circumstances are advantageous.

favorable weather conditions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of propitious

The essence of modern economic development is the continuing augmentation of human potential and a propitious business climate, framed by policies and institutions that help unlock the value in human beings. —Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024

The best Spurs coverage in Alamo City, delivered to your inbox The player who had posted such a propitious rookie season by simply playing on instinct looked lost. —Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Oct. 2024

The timing couldn’t have been more propitious with the trade deadline pending. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 31 July 2024

International pressure, particularly the U.S. policies over the preceding decade, is a key factor contributing to this propitious development. —Jose Ignacio Hernández, Foreign Affairs, 29 July 2024

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