Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

auspicious

American  
[aw-spish-uhs] / ɔˈspɪʃ əs /

adjective

  1. promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable.

    an auspicious occasion.

  2. favored by fortune; prosperous; fortunate.


auspicious British  
/ ɔːˈspɪʃəs /

adjective

  1. favourable or propitious

  2. archaic prosperous or fortunate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

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.

She planned to hang traditional Chinese couplets -- usually on auspicious red paper -- before sharing a family meal.

From Barron's

But the current Draco obsession stems from the transliteration of his surname, "Ma Er Fu", which contains the Chinese characters for "horse" and "good fortune" -- an auspicious omen for the year ahead.

From Barron's

“It’s not particularly auspicious in terms of what comes next,” said Michael Wahid Hanna, the U.S. program director at International Crisis Group.

From The Wall Street Journal

It contains the words for horse and fortune, ringing especially auspicious for the upcoming Year of the Horse.

From BBC

This was an auspicious start, but over the next eight years, she never reached those heights again as a lead artist.

From The Wall Street Journal