hopefully

adverb

hope·​ful·​ly ˈhōp-fə-lē 

1

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

gazed up at us hopefully

2

: 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 17th century and has been in fairly widespread use since at least the 1930s, underwent a surge in popularity. A surge of criticism followed in reaction, despite the fact that this use is grammatically sound. Hopefully when used to mean "it is hoped" is a member of a class of adverbs and adverbial phrases known as disjuncts. Disjuncts provide a means for the author or speaker to 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, and 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

The performance is also full of wheels (that hopefully don’t come off). — Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026

The Cure’s food would be so easy to digest that my body could, hopefully, concentrate on rest. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 17 July 2026

The idea is to build a party that manages to unite (and to do so more than grudgingly) across its various wings, much as the opposition in Hungary did to defeat Viktor Orbán and now, hopefully, to stamp out Orbánism. — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 16 July 2026

Winston said all the positive news of international fans having a good time stateside for the World Cup may help slowly correct that, and, hopefully, Comic-Con can add to the momentum. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Video

Hopefully

We believe the popular usage of this word is correct

Kids Definition

hopefully

adverb

hope·​ful·​ly ˈhōp-fə-lē 

1

: in a hopeful manner

a dog looking hopefully for a tidbit

2

: I hope : we hope

hopefully it won't rain tomorrow