auspicious
Americanadjective
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promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable.
an auspicious occasion.
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favored by fortune; prosperous; fortunate.
adjective
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favourable or propitious
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archaic prosperous or fortunate
Usage
The use of auspicious to mean `very special' (as in this auspicious occasion ) should be avoided
Other Word Forms
- auspiciously adverb
- auspiciousness noun
- unauspicious adjective
- unauspiciously adverb
Etymology
Origin of auspicious
First recorded in 1600–10; equivalent to Latin auspici(um) auspice + -ous
Explanation
Use the adjective auspicious for a favorable situation or set of conditions. If you start a marathon by falling flat on your face, that's not an auspicious start. If something seems likely to bring success — either because it creates favorable conditions or you just consider it a lucky sign — label it auspicious. The word is related to auspice, "a divine omen," an old word with a colorful history. In Latin, an auspex was a person who observed the flight of birds to predict things about the future. Luckily, you no longer have to be a bird-watching fortune-teller to guess whether something is auspicious or not.
Vocabulary lists containing auspicious
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some were prearranged, but the executives’ timing was auspicious.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Pratt’s elders considered this auspicious and named him Vehunkis—meaning, roughly, “He wants to be a chief.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
Payesh is commonly enjoyed during several auspicious occasions: birthdays, weddings, religious festivals and baby showers.
From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026
"I was surprised at the price...I hope that by eating auspicious tuna, as many people as possible will feel energised," he told reporters.
From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026
Because the Mehtas were anxious to have the ceremony as soon as possible, the astrologer was told to be quick in fixing an auspicious date for the wedding.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
