wishful

[ wish-fuhl ]
See synonyms for wishful on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. having or showing a wish; desirous; longing.

Origin of wishful

1
First recorded in 1515–25; wish + -ful

Other words from wishful

  • wish·ful·ly, adverb
  • wish·ful·ness, noun
  • un·wish·ful, adjective
  • un·wish·ful·ly, adverb
  • un·wish·ful·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use wishful in a sentence

  • Lady Staveley looked wishfully up in her husband's face, longing to tell him all her suspicions.

    Orley Farm | Anthony Trollope
  • The pretty boy stood there indeed, looking in modestly and wishfully.

    The Pot of Gold | Mary E. Wilkins
  • He looked at me most wishfully, and began talking cat language, and I knew he was saying, "Please put Tricksey back on the floor."

  • Why, Deacon Downs himself can drink three cups of a morning, an' then look around sort of wishfully for another.

    Jack the Hunchback | James Otis
  • There she stood, wiping the tears from her eyes, looking on wishfully, while her husband did not even know that she was there.

    The Vicar of Bullhampton | Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for wishful

wishful

/ (ˈwɪʃfʊl) /


adjective
  1. having wishes or characterized by wishing

Derived forms of wishful

  • wishfully, adverb
  • wishfulness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012