adjective
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having or expressing hope
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giving or inspiring hope; promising
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hopeful
Explanation
If you're hopeful about something, you're optimistic. You think it's going to turn out OK. Your team has been doing well in practice, so you're hopeful that you'll win the finals. Hopeful comes from the word hope, meaning "optimism about a future event," and the suffix -ful, meaning "full." So if you're hopeful, you're full of hope: you think something good is going to happen. You might be hopeful that you'll be offered a job after your great interview. Used as a noun, hopeful can describe a promising person who wants to succeed at a particular goal. The charismatic young politician is a hopeful for the next election.
Vocabulary lists containing hopeful
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Emotions on Display
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Burruss, the dad of three, is hopeful that the game’s intense attention will have a knock-on effect on his side hustle: Gatabud, a YouTube channel where he records video gameplay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
A Meta spokesperson told Reuters the company was "hopeful" Snap would make similar changes too.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Did he want the film to feel dire or hopeful?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
He’s hopeful that the establishment’s popularity will eventually wane with the ritzy crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
I've learned not to take too deep a whijf when mucking out the barn, but most of the smells are good, wonderful, and hopeful, if smells can be such a thing.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
