Vocapedia
Log inTry for Free

Looking up...

Words

  • Words of the Year
  • Recent Lookups
  • My Dictionary

Languages

  • English
  • Vietnamese
  • Japanese
  • Chinese
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Korean
  • German

Features

  • Words of the Year
  • My Collections List
  • Reviews
  • Learning Resources
  • Community Collections

Learn

  • How It Works
  • Study Guides
  • Language Tips
  • FAQ
  • Getting Started
  • For Individuals
  • For Teachers

Community

  • Forum
  • Blog
  • Help Center
  • Partnerships

About

  • About Vocapedia
  • Contact Us
  • Feedback

Legal

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
  • GDPR Compliance
© 2026 Vocapedia. All rights reserved.

promising

/ˈprɒmɪsɪŋ/
adjective★Intermediate💡 showing potential

“She got a promising job offer after the interview.”

The job offer suggests she has good potential.

general

showing signs of being good or successful in the future

The startup's new product looks very promising.

The startup's new product appears to have good future prospects.

He's a promising young athlete.

He shows great potential as a young athlete.

💡

Commonly used to describe people, projects, or ideas with potential.

Collocations

promising starta good beginningpromising futurelikely to succeed in the futurepromising talentsomeone with potential

Synonyms

hopefulencouragingpotentialbrightup-and-coming

Antonyms

hopelessunpromisingdoubtfulbleak

💡Pro Tip

Common mistake: Confusing 'promising' with 'promised'

'Promising' describes potential (e.g., 'a promising student'), while 'promised' describes a commitment (e.g., 'She promised to help').

⚡Gold Rule

Use 'promising' for future potential

Always use 'promising' to describe something that shows signs of future success, not something that has already succeeded.

📖Word Origin

From the verb 'promise' (from Latin 'promissus', past participle of 'promittere' meaning 'to send forth') with the suffix '-ing' indicating the present participle form. First recorded in English in the 16th century.

📝Usage Notes

Used to describe something or someone that shows signs of future success or improvement. Often used in professional or academic contexts to evaluate potential.

Word Breakdown

promise
to indicate something will happen
root
+
-ing
present participle suffix
suffix
English Dictionary

Learning Progress

Track your learning journey!

• Save words to build your vocabulary

• Monitor your daily streak

• Get personalized review reminders

• See words learned statistics

Log in to access advanced features and track your progress!

Go to Dashboard →

Words of the Year

The most notable words that defined each year. Discover the vocabulary that shaped our world.