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

Former governor and mayoral hopeful Andrew Cuomo also took to social media to blast the vandals. —Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026

In December, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a former GOP presidential hopeful, also called for more limits to be placed on data center construction. —Tristan Bove, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026

Noun

However, Macuga, who suffered a torn ACL in late November, will not be able to compete at this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, where she had been considered a medal hopeful in downhill and super-G. —Anna Tingley, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026

The streamer secured a nomination for feature doc The Perfect Neighbor but didn’t succeed with its other two hopefuls in that category – Apocalypse in the Tropics and Cover-Up. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 Jan. 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