propitious

English

WOTD – 11 March 2016

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman and Old French propicius, from Latin propitius (“favorable, well-disposed, kind”). Compare French propice, Portuguese propício and Spanish propicio.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɹoʊˈpɪʃəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pro‧pi‧tious

Adjective

propitious (comparative more propitious, superlative most propitious)

1. Favorable; benevolent.

   Synonym: favorable

   Antonym: unpropitious

   propitious weather

2. Advantageous.

   Synonym: advantageous

3. Characteristic of a good omen.

   Synonyms: auspicious, fortunate, promising

   • 2014 November 6, Rob Nixon, “Naomi Klein’s ‘This Changes Everything’”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     But counterrevolutions are reversible. Klein devotes much of her book to propitious signs that this can happen — indeed is happening.

4. (archaic) Favorably disposed towards someone.

Antonyms

• unpropitious

Translations

favorable; benevolent

• Dutch: gunstig (nl)
• French: favorable (fr), propice (fr)
• German: günstig (de), förderlich (de), gnädig (de)

• Maori: momoho
• Russian: благоприя́тный (ru) m (blagoprijátnyj)

advantageous

• Dutch: voordelig (nl)
• French: avantageux (fr)

• German: vorteilhaft (de)

characteristic of a good omen: auspicious

• Dutch: onder een goed gesternte
• French: de bonne augure

• German: verheißungsvoll (de)

Related terms

• propitiate
• propitiation
• propitiously
• propitiousness

Further reading

• propitious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• propitious in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• propitious at OneLook Dictionary Search