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definitions

hopefully

[ hohp-fuh-lee ]
/ ˈhoʊp fə li /
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adverb

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.

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RELATED WORDS

surely, confidently, conceivably, positively, expectantly, sanguinely, expectedly, feasibly

Nearby words

  1. hope springs eternal,
  2. hope, anthony,
  3. hope, bob,
  4. hopeful,
  5. hopeful monster,
  6. hopeh,
  7. hopei,
  8. hopeless,
  9. hopelessly,
  10. hopewell

Origin of hopefully

First recorded in 1630–40; hopeful + -ly

Usage note

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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hopefully

British Dictionary definitions for hopefully

hopefully

/ (ˈhəʊpfʊlɪ) /

adverb

in a hopeful manner
informal it is hopedhopefully they will be here soon

usage

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
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

Word Origin and History for hopefully

hopefully

adv.

1630s, "in a hopeful manner," from hopeful + -ly (2). As a replacement for the admittedly awkward it is to be hoped that attested from 1932 but avoided by careful writers.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper