wishful

adjective

wish·​ful ˈwish-fəl How to pronounce wishful (audio)
1
a
: expressive of a wish : hopeful
looked at the toys with wishful eyes
b
: having a wish : desirous
2
: according with wishes rather than reality
wishful dreams
wishfully adverb
wishfulness noun

Examples of wishful in a Sentence

her wishful attempts to change her husband's bad habits
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Connected by a complex sound design that occasionally collapses time and space, scenes of absurd mundanity give way to the fantasy of fiction, its triangle of poets, artists, and actors motivated equally by wishful dreaming and comic, everyday neuroses. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Aug. 2024 The party did, however, lay out an agenda in 2020 for a second term under former President Donald Trump with an incredibly short list of wishful items without much explanation about how to get there, said in just 600 words. Annabella Rosciglione, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 June 2024 The political message is a little Easy-Bake, a little shallow, a little wishful — claim your power, ladies! Vulture Editors, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2024 For years, many Western scholars and policymakers downplayed or dismissed such challenges as wishful rhetoric. Alexander Cooley, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020 See all Example Sentences for wishful 

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of wishful was in 1593

Dictionary Entries Near wishful

Cite this Entry

“Wishful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wishful. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

wishful

adjective
wish·​ful ˈwish-fəl How to pronounce wishful (audio)
1
: having a wish : desirous
2
: based on wishes rather than fact
wishful thinking
wishfully adverb
wishfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wishful

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