wishful

American  

[wish-fuhl] / ˈwɪʃ fəl /

adjective

1. having or showing a wish; desirous; longing.

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wishful British  

/ ˈwɪʃfʊl /

adjective

1. having wishes or characterized by wishing

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Other Word Forms

• unwishful adjective
• unwishfully adverb
• unwishfulness noun
• wishfully adverb
• wishfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of wishful

First recorded in 1515–25; wish + -ful

Example Sentences

Bulls yelling “It’s the next gold!” is really more wishful thinking than reality.

From The Wall Street Journal

There’s a fair bit of analysis suggesting the whole thing may be more wishful thinking than a useful tool to time your investing.

From MarketWatch

However, judge Lord Sandison rejected the claims, describing the way Biffa interpreted the letter as "wishful thinking" on a par with trying to turn "base metal into gold".

From BBC

The first of these is wishful—the necessary omissions leave out much of the story of American poetry.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the residents of Catfish Row, “your daddy’s rich” sounds wishful, ironic.

From The Wall Street Journal