hopeful

1 of 2

adjective

hope·​ful ˈhōp-fəl 

1

: having qualities which inspire hope

hopeful signs of economic recovery

2

: full of hope : inclined to hope

hopefulness noun

hopeful

2 of 2

noun

: aspirant

Olympic hopefuls

Synonyms of hopeful

Adjective

• promising
• optimistic
• bright

Noun

• candidate
• contender
• expectant

Examples of hopeful in a Sentence

Adjective

The mood is sad rather than hopeful.

He was hopeful that things would get better soon.

I still feel hopeful about the future.

She is hopeful of winning the race.

a hopeful tone of voice

There are hopeful signs that the crisis may end soon.

The movie has a hopeful ending.

Investigators report that there have been some hopeful developments in the case.

Noun

the three mayoral hopefuls are going to debate on local TV

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Afterward, Mamdani, on both his personal and official account, retweeted a post by Ohio gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy that included a photo of him and his wife, Apoorva Ramaswamy. —Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 26 May 2026

Meeks remains hopeful about what might emerge if communities are willing to do the hard work. —Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

Noun

Top of mind for many board hopefuls were CPS budget cuts and the district’s looming $732 million deficit. —Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2026

Those West hopefuls look like nothing more than 13 basketball Andy Roddicks, needing not just the minor miracle of beating Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, but also to beat both of them back-to-back to win a major. —John Hollinger, New York Times, 21 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1720, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hopeful

1 of 2 adjective

hope·​ful ˈhōp-fəl 

1

: having qualities which inspire hope

2

: full of or inclined to hope

hopefulness noun

hopeful

2 of 2 noun

: a person who has hopes or is considered promising