1
as in promising
having qualities which inspire hope
economists are offering a hopeful forecast for a healthy economy in the coming year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in encouraging
pointing toward a happy outcome
in a hopeful response to the ad, several people called to say they'd seen our lost cat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in candidate
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
the three mayoral hopefuls are going to debate on local TV
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hopeful
Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Investors appear hopeful the sell-off is coming to an end, even if there's more volatility ahead in the near-term.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
Hillel Italie, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Democratic leaders hope their voters eventually rally behind one or two candidates, and Swalwell is among the leading Democratic hopefuls.
—Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
Adjective
Bald eagle parents Jackie and Shadow have had their first pip of the season, which is a hopeful sign after the pair lost two eggs earlier this year.
—Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Investors appear hopeful the sell-off is coming to an end, even if there's more volatility ahead in the near-term.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
Presidential hopefuls often, though not always, release books before launching a campaign, giving them a moment in the spotlight before new audiences and a chance to crystallize their message embarking on a campaign.
—Hillel Italie, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Democratic leaders hope their voters eventually rally behind one or two candidates, and Swalwell is among the leading Democratic hopefuls.
—Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopeful
Adjective
-
Pharmaceutical companies must typically invest many years and hundreds of millions of dollars to win approval for a drug; partly for this reason, some promising treatments are never approved, and many arrive too late for people who urgently need them.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Despite these promising signals, large-scale, long-term human studies remain limited.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Davies' assist for Karl's winner marked an encouraging return from a hamstring injury for the Canada left back ahead of the World Cup.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Despite the severity of his injuries, McManus notes, Peanut's prognosis is encouraging.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor in Wisconsin, cautioned against reading too much into Tuesday’s results.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Headlined by Kon Knueppel, who’s a candidate to be the Hornets’ first rookie of the year since Ball picked up the honor in 2020-21, the additions of Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Liam McNeeley easily represent the team’s best collective class in a very long time.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Guillén was optimistic the honor would happen one day.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Lentsch is also optimistic that Protect Wyoming’s work can help influence public-land policy in neighboring states, and mobilize outdoorsmen beyond just the West.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Downtown trees offer favorable habitat.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for celebrating the holiday.—
Jason Pierce,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The first debate between presidential candidates occurred on May 17, 1948, when Republican contenders Thomas Dewey and Harold Stassen matched wits.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Voters, including myself, had to select seven artists from the record-tying 17 on the shortlist, the majority of them being contenders for the first time.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The ground floor is almost entirely devoted to the bright main restaurant and bar.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Situated on a parcel of what was once bright-green Iowa pasture, our supercomputing facility may not look like much.—
Jed Feiman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Democrats are against them and happy to blame them for rising prices.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The first lady spoke as well, wishing all Americans a happy Easter.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hopeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopeful. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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