Something inauspicious seems to show that success later is unlikely. It looks like a bad sign for what comes next — a late start, rain on a wedding morning, the first customer walking out angry. It does not prove the future will go wrong; it only points that way, or feels as if it does. The word is rather formal and a little old-fashioned in everyday talk. Friends are more likely to say a bad start, bad luck, or not a good sign. You will meet it in news, stories, and careful writing. It is the opposite of auspicious, which looks like a good sign. Though actually, people now use it for first impressions and messy beginnings, not only for old omens. An inauspicious debut is just a first show that went poorly. It is not the same as dangerous, and it is not a curse. It is a judgment about how the beginning looks.