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

Related terms

• propitiate
• propitiation
• propitiously
• propitiousness

Translations

favorable; benevolent

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: благоприятен (bg) (blagoprijaten)
• Catalan: favorable (ca) m, propici m, propícia f
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: gunstig (nl)
• Finnish: suotuisa (fi)
• French: favorable (fr), propice (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: günstig (de), förderlich (de), gnädig (de)
• Hungarian: kedvező (hu)
• Italian: propizio (it)
• Maori: momoho
• Polish: sprzyjający (pl)
• Portuguese: propício (pt)
• Russian: благоприя́тный (ru) m (blagoprijátnyj)
• Spanish: propicio (es)
• Swedish: gynnsam (sv)
• Ukrainian: сприятливий m (spryjatlyvyj)

advantageous

• Catalan: avantatjós m, avantatjosa f
• Dutch: voordelig (nl)
• Finnish: edullinen (fi), hyödyllinen (fi)
• French: avantageux (fr)
• German: vorteilhaft (de)
• Hungarian: előnyös (hu)
• Swedish: fördelaktig (sv)

characteristic of a good omen: auspicious

• Catalan: propici m, propícia f
• Dutch: onder een goed gesternte
• Finnish: suotuisa (fi), lupaava (fi)
• French: de bonne augure
• German: verheißungsvoll (de)
• Latin: propitius
• Swedish: lyckosam (sv)

Further reading

• “propitious”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “propitious”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “propitious”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.