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

Next up is a mouthwatering quarterfinal against Naomi Osaka, a Wimbledon occasion that will hopefully be worth the wait. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Contributions from the Ford Foundation to his newsroom allowed Terry to spend three months in the United States to see how American newspapers operated and hopefully bring some of the knowledge back to the United Kingdom. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026

So hopefully this award will give me the platform to publish this. — Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026

This means that astronomers will have to wait until the 2040s, when NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory will hopefully launch, to answer the question of whether GJ 3378b really does have an atmosphere or not. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 2 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Video

Hopefully

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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