hopeful

adjective

hope·ful | \ˈhōp-fəl

Definition of hopeful

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : having qualities which inspire hope hopeful signs of economic recovery

2 : full of hope : inclined to hope

hopeful

noun

Definition of hopeful (Entry 2 of 2)

: aspirant Olympic hopefuls

Other Words from hopeful Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about hopeful

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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

This is not the first task force to try to set a new course for the symphony, but Wolff — who has played a role in three — is hopeful that the third time is the charm. — Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News, "After a bumpy season, the San Antonio Symphony in a stronger, sunnier place," 3 July 2018 John William Templeton, a historian specializing in African Americans in California and co-founder of National Black Business Month, is hopeful that Breed’s victory is a turning point for the city’s black population. — Hamed Aleaziz, SFChronicle.com, "London Breed’s election as SF mayor brings hope to dwindling black community," 16 June 2018 Gabler, a 30-year veteran with Fox, is hopeful that Disney will maintain the 85-year-old Fox brand. — Nicole Sperling, HWD, "Amy Adams’s Dark New Project Could Be the Next Gone Girl," 27 Apr. 2018 Houstonians coped with hurricane time in surprising and hopeful ways. — Timothy Morton, The Atlantic, "The Hurricane in My Backyard," 8 July 2018 Yet Russia, backed by a hopeful and optimistic home crowd in Sochi, actually looked the more threatening without creating any clear chances. — SI.com, "Russia 2-2 Croatia (3-4 Pens): Heartbreak for Hosts as Croatia Secure Last 4 Clash Against England," 7 July 2018 Some of your wish lists were detailed and hopeful as letters to Santa Claus, featuring brands like Crate & Barrel, The Container Store, Warby Parker and Shake Shack instead of new bikes and baseball gloves. — Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, "We hear you, Louisville: Give us IKEA! And Publix, Crate & Barrel ...," 29 June 2018 There were a few small signs of progress in minority hiring: There are modest but hopeful signs of success in hiring, where our focus is on reaching greater workforce representation of women globally, and for Black and Latinx Googlers in the U.S. — Terrell Jermaine Starr, The Root, "Google Has A Hard Time Keeping Black Employees," 16 June 2018 Alderman Jason Wilke was hopeful and said perhaps when construction in the village is finally done there might be more businesses wandering over. — Karen Pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Rice n Roll Bistro eyes new location in Wauwatosa's State Street Station as developer searches for more retail tenants," 13 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Alabama, in 2016, moved up its primary in the election calendar and the state was a popular stop for presidential hopefuls ahead of the primaries that year. — John Sharp, AL.com, "Senator Cory Booker returns to Alabama, but will 2020 be on his mind?," 9 Jan. 2018 Democratic hopefuls Randy Bryce and Cathy Myers said that's not enough and have pilloried the Trump administration. — Craig Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Immigration crisis: Support grows among Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans for keeping children with parents," 21 June 2018 Trainer Bob Baffert expected a quiet track, so the Triple Crown hopeful jogged 1⅜ miles without his hearing artificially impaired. — Fletcher Page, The Courier-Journal, "Bob Baffert will make an adjustment for Justify's last Belmont workout," 7 June 2018 In recent weeks, both state and national Democratic groups have been working to both bash the GOP hopefuls in those districts and to smooth over the rifts between their own contentious candidates. — Chronicle Staff Report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Trump’s rising popularity is bad news for Dems in California House races," 22 May 2018 Joined by roster hopefuls and second-year players, Bamba practiced with the Orlando Magic for the first time. — Josh Robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Mo Bamba enjoys new reality: He's an NBA player now," 3 July 2018 Anthony Shallat is the campaign manager for Democratic attorney general hopeful Bruce Bistline. — Melissa Davlin, idahostatesman, "'Call (him) fake news,' Dem adviser told Harley Brown after threat to Boise radio host," 29 June 2018 But the third season of the show comes with at twist: Produce 48 is a Korean-Japanese production featuring K-pop hopefuls and members of the popular J-pop act AKB48 and regional sister groups, 12 of whom will make it into the final team. — Tamar Herman, Billboard, "'Produce 48' Premieres in South Korea, Putting K-Pop Hopefuls & J-Pop's AKB48 in the Spotlight," 19 June 2018 Over the past two weeks, more than 500 hopefuls from around the globe were on hand for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders auditions, seeking to begin a journey to represent the most valuable sports franchise in the world. — Jay Betsill, star-telegram, "Nothing routine about doing routines to become a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hopeful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.