auspicious

English

Alternative forms

• auspitious (obsolete)

Etymology

From auspice +‎ -ious, from Latin auspicium (“augury”), from auspex (“augur”), possibly via French.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɔːˈspɪ.ʃəs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɔˈspɪʃ.əs/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ɑˈspɪʃ.əs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪʃəs

Adjective

auspicious (comparative more auspicious, superlative most auspicious)

1. Of good omen; indicating future success.
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 130:

     It was a boast of Napoleon, that the very weather owned the influence of his auspicious star—his triumphal entry, his procession, or his fête, were always marked by sunshine.

   • 2013, James Arena, First Ladies of Disco - 32 Stars Discuss the Era and Their Singing Careers, page 232:

     Backed by the Salsoul Orchestra, Carol's auspicious single debut, "More," was one of the very first commercially-available 12" singles and was a smash, reaching the upper regions of the disco charts in 1976.

   • 2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 5:34 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?‎^[1], archived from the original on 3 November 2022:

     Losing nearly a third of the heavy cruisers, including Admiral Kurita's flagship, the Atago, was not an especially-auspicious start to the operation, especially with the admiral himself having to be fished out of the water by a destroyer.

2. Conducive to success.

   Synonyms: favourable, favorable, promising, propitious, fortunate, lucky

   This is an auspicious day.

3. Marked by success; prosperous.

   Synonyms: lucky, fortunate

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 153, column 2, lines 8–14:

     Therefore our ſometimes Siſter, novv our Queen, / Th’ imperiall Ioyntreſſe of this vvarlike State, / Haue vve, as ’tvvere, vvith a defeated ioy, / VVith one Auſpicious, and one Dropping eye, / VVith mirth in Funerall, and vvith Dirge in Marriage, / In equall Scale vveighing Delight and Dole / Taken to VVife […]

   • 1730 May 5 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Henry Fielding, Tom Thumb. A Tragedy. […], London: […] J. Roberts […], published 1730, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 1:

     Sure, ſuch a Day as this vvas never ſeen! / The Sun himſelf, on this auſpicious Day, / Shines like a Beau in a nevv Birth-Day Suit: […]

Antonyms

• disastrous
• ruinous
• inauspicious
• ominous

Derived terms

• auspiciously
• auspiciousness
• unauspicious

Translations

indicating future success

• Belarusian: спрыя́льны (be) (spryjálʹny)
• Bulgarian: благоприятен (bg) (blagoprijaten), вещаещ добро (veštaešt dobro)
• Catalan: propici, favorable (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吉利 (zh) (jílì), 吉祥 (zh) (jíxiáng)

• Czech: slibný (cs), nadějný (cs), příznivý (cs)
• Danish: lovende
• Dutch: gunstig (nl)
• Esperanto: aŭspicia
• Finnish: lupaava (fi); hyväenteinen
• French: propice (fr), faste (fr), de bon augure
• German: günstig (de), vielversprechend (de), verheißungsvoll (de), glückverheißend
• Greek: ευοίωνος (el) (evoíonos)

  Ancient: αἴσιος (aísios)

• Hindi: शुभ (hi) (śubh)
• Irish: dea-thuarúil
• Japanese: めでたい (ja) (medetai), 喜ばしい (ja) (yorokobashii)
• Latin: faustus
• Macedonian: благопри́јатен (blagopríjaten), по́волен (póvolen)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gunstig

  Nynorsk: gunstig

• Ottoman Turkish: میمون (maymun)
• Portuguese: promissor (pt)
• Russian: благоприя́тный (ru) (blagoprijátnyj)
• Spanish: prometedor (es), propicio (es)
• Swedish: lovande (sv), lyckobådande, gynnsam (sv), lyckobringande (sv)
• Ukrainian: сприя́тливий (spryjátlyvyj)
• Urdu: شبھ (śubh)
• Welsh: ffafrol (cy)