Propitious

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /pɹəˈpɪʃəs/

Definitions

1. Giving promise of success or advantage through favorable circumstances and timing
2. Characterized by conditions that are advantageous and likely to result in a beneficial or successful outcome
3. Showing signs that events will likely turn out well and favorably

Etymology: Propitious began as a word for gods and divine favour. Its Latin ancestor, "propitius", meant "favorable, well-disposed, kind", and was used of deities who looked kindly on worshippers, and especially of gods who could be appeased or induced to show mercy. The sense of a kindly disposition, rather than of luck or timing, is what the word carried into English from Anglo-Norman and Old French, where the form "propicius" was already in use before the English borrowing. From that religious setting, the meaning gradually widened. A god who was well-disposed was one whose favour could bring good outcomes, so the word moved from describing a benevolent being to describing circumstances that seemed to promise success. Today, when we call a moment or an omen propitious, we are borrowing that old idea of a deity smiling down on us, now applied to the weather, a launch date or an opening bid.

Synonyms: favorable, auspicious, beneficial, advantageous, promising

Antonyms: unfavorable, inopportune, detrimental, disadvantageous, unlucky