Auspicious
adjective /ɔːˈspɪʃəs/ — Favorable; giving signs of future success.
Definition
Suggesting a good or promising start — indicating a positive outcome, especially as a matter of omen or fortunate circumstance. The auspicious beginning is the one that feels right.
Beyond the definition
Auspicious is the word for good signs. The origins are in bird-watching — augury, the reading of bird flight to predict outcomes. We no longer read birds, but we still read signs. An auspicious start is when everything feels like it's pointing in the right direction.
Origin & history
Latin 'auspicium' — divination by observing birds: 'avis' (bird) + 'specere' (to watch). Roman generals would not march without checking bird omens. The word is literally the practice of watching birds for signs.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
An auspicious beginning: the weather was perfect and everyone was in good humour.
She called it auspicious that they'd been assigned the same table — and she was right.
Not every auspicious start leads to success, but the absence of it is notable.
Synonyms
favorable, propitious, promising, fortunate
Antonyms
inauspicious, ominous, unfavorable
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Ruins and modern city skyline
An adult on a hill overlooks a landscape featuring crumbling ancient ruins in front of a glass-and-steel modern city.
The transitional golden-hour light symbolizes a promising start for a new era, making the scene feel auspicious. It suggests a movement forward from the weight of history into a new phase that is both well-timed and hopeful in its potential.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration