auspicious

IPA/ɔːˈspɪʃəs/
KK[ɑspˈɪʃəs]IPA/ɔːˈspɪʃəs/

auspicious — adjective

  • auspiciouspositive
  • more auspiciouscomparative
  • most auspicioussuperlative

1. appearing to be a sign that good things will happen or that an effort will succe

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

appearing to be a sign that good things will happen or that an effort will succeed

Example

The sunny weather on their wedding day felt like an auspicious sign for the future.

auspicious sign — noun collocation

Chidi's high exam scores were an auspicious start to his first year at university.

auspicious start — noun collocation

Common collocations
  • auspicious start
  • auspicious beginning
  • auspicious sign
  • auspicious moment
  • auspicious date
  • auspicious occasion
Synonyms
  • promising

    more common in everyday speech; 'promising' suggests observable qualities that point to success, while 'auspicious' often relates to signs or omens

  • propitious

    more formal and less common; strongly emphasises favorable timing or circumstances

  • favorable

    broader meaning; describes any condition that helps something succeed, not limited to signs or omens

Antonyms
  • inauspicious

    direct antonym; suggests signs point toward failure rather than success

  • ominous

    stronger negative connotation; suggests something bad is about to happen

Grammar Patterns

auspicious + noun

be + auspicious

Usage Note

Frequently used before nouns such as 'start', 'beginning', 'sign', 'omen', and 'moment' in formal or literary contexts. The opposite meaning is expressed by 'inauspicious' or 'ominous'.

Common Mistakes

I feel auspicious today.
Today feels auspicious.
'auspicious' describes situations, events, or signs, not a person's inner feelings.
This is a very auspicious restaurant.
This restaurant had an auspicious beginning.
'auspicious' refers to signs of future success, not a general positive quality of something.

Word family

  • auspiciously
    adverbC1
  • auspiciousness
    nounC2
  • inauspicious
    adjectiveC2
  • inauspiciously
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These adjectives all describe situations that point toward a positive outcome, but they differ in tone. 'Auspicious' is the most formal and is closely tied to signs or omens — a clear signal that things are aligned for success. 'Promising' is more common in everyday conversation and focuses on visible qualities that suggest future potential, such as a promising student or a promising business idea. 'Propitious' shares the formality of 'auspicious' but is rarer and often describes timing being right, as in 'a propitious moment.' 'Favorable' is the broadest term and simply means conditions support a desired outcome, with no hint of omens. For example, a company might enjoy a favorable market (good conditions), announce an auspicious launch date (a lucky sign), and hire a promising new manager (visible potential).

auspicious ↗promising ↗propitiousfavorable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • most auspicious
  • particularly auspicious
  • highly auspicious

Phrases

  • an auspicious start to
  • an auspicious sign for

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin 'auspicium', which meant 'divination by watching birds'. In ancient Rome, priests called augurs studied the flight patterns of birds to decide whether the gods approved of a proposed action. If the bird signs were good, the undertaking was called 'auspicatus' — 'of favorable omen'. The word entered English in the late 1500s and gradually lost its bird-watching origins, keeping only the sense of a promising sign.