hopefully

adverb

hope·ful·ly ˈhōp-fə-lē

Synonyms of hopefully next

: in a way that expresses desire with an expectation of fulfillment : in a hopeful manner

gazed up at us hopefully

: it is hoped : I hope : we hope

hopefully the rain will end soon

Can hopefully mean 'I hope'?: Usage Guide

In the 1960s the second sense of hopefully ("it is hoped"), which dates to the early 18th century and had been in fairly widespread use since at least the 1930s, underwent a surge in popularity. A surge of criticism followed in reaction, but the criticism took no account of the grammar of adverbs. Hopefully when used to mean "it is hoped" is a member of a class of adverbs known as disjuncts. Disjuncts serve as a means by which the author or speaker can comment directly to the reader or hearer usually on the content of the sentence to which they are attached. Many other adverbs (such as interestingly, frankly, clearly, luckily, unfortunately) are similarly used; most are so ordinary as to excite no comment or interest whatsoever. The "it is hoped" sense of hopefully is entirely standard.

Examples of hopefully in a Sentence

They gazed up at us hopefully. Hopefully, things will get better soon.

Recent Examples on the Web Director Joe Dante’s 1984 horror comedy Gremlins saw a horde of frighteningly hilarious little monsters take over a small town at Christmastime, and film-goers ate it up — but hopefully not after midnight! —

John Russell, Peoplemag, 8 June 2024 That's always part of the fun, so hopefully this list will inspire you to get started. —

Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 7 June 2024 Until further research can hopefully provide more insight into the dangers of microplastics5 from floral foam and other sources, florists like Tobey Nelson of Tobey Nelson Events + Design, LLC., are concerned about inhaling dust released when working with the product. —

Mackenzie Nichols, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2024 Now, O’Leary is searching for another location, hopefully with time to spare. —

Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 6 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for hopefully

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hopefully.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.