hopefully
Americanadverb
-
in a hopeful manner.
We worked hopefully and energetically, thinking we might finish first.
-
it is hoped; if all goes well.
Hopefully, we will get to the show on time.
adverb
-
in a hopeful manner
-
informal it is hoped
hopefully they will be here soon
Usage
Although some strongly object to its use as a sentence modifier, hopefully meaning “it is hoped (that)” has been in use since the 1930s and is fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing: Hopefully, tensions between the two nations will ease. This use of hopefully is parallel to that of certainly, curiously, frankly, regrettably, and other sentence modifiers.
The use of hopefully to mean it is hoped used to be considered incorrect by some people but has now become acceptable in informal contexts
Etymology
Origin of hopefully
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.
“Well, hopefully we are toward the end of the war. They want to make a deal, we’ll see how that works out,” the president told reporters on Wednesday evening.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Our overall survival data is very promising and will hopefully persist with additional patients," Cunniff said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
“We unilaterally put up this framework to hopefully inspire the rest of the industry to follow on and share their own misalignment reporting frameworks,” Chen said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The reason, hopefully, that “Elsinore” is moving is that we approach some of the stuff with quite a bit of lightness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
But hopefully he’d get to try my desserts soon, outside of prison.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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.
