hopefuls

noun

plural of hopeful
as in candidates
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award the three mayoral hopefuls are going to debate on local TV

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hopefuls Three decades in, however, the women’s applications are still trapped in a provincial backlog of more than 1 million hopefuls. — Julie Bourdin, Christian Science Monitor, 28 July 2026 Potential White House hopefuls have already begun laying the groundwork in South Carolina. — ABC News, 24 July 2026 This year’s winners were chosen from 3,985 hopefuls, and the applicants were reviewed by panelists according to their discipline. — News Desk, Artforum, 24 July 2026 Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers ended last season as World Cup hopefuls, two of England’s brightest young talents and among the candidates to be the Premier League’s marquee signing of the summer. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Kansas’ three Democratic governor hopefuls dug in on the issues and took shots at each other’s integrity and effectiveness in an hourlong Tuesday-evening television debate hosted by Topeka’s WIBW. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026 The top two vote-getters out of 16 hopefuls will advance to the November general election. — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 21 July 2026 The senior division competition, including a number of former Olympians and hopefuls for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, took place later on Saturday night. — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026 Some board hopefuls are still fending off ballot challenges, meaning the final list of candidates is not yet finalized. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 16 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopefuls
  1. candidates
  2. contenders
  3. applicants
Noun
  • The commission now appears poised to rule next month that the Georgia Republican Assembly and its affiliated political action committee failed to property disclose more than $187,000 in spending to support numerous candidates in recent years.
    — David Wickert, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Stevens benefited from tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, including the largest investment in a race ever from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports pro-Israel candidates.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of candidates
Noun
  • Once the world of soccer is no longer in the immediate wake of the equity venture controversy, more contenders could emerge.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Stanek has spent enough time around the league to understand why contenders value experienced bullpen arms on short-term contracts and the Cardinals might have originally picked him up with the hopes of moving him at this point.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of contenders
Noun
  • Neurodivergent applicants may struggle to communicate effectively in an interview but outperform their peers in the actual job.
    — Cami Fateh, Vogue, 22 July 2026
  • Previously, applicants were to be reviewed by a screening committee to suggest top applicants to the superintendent’s leadership team, who then sent a recommendation for filling the position.
    — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 July 2026
Definition of applicants

Browse Nearby Words

hopefulness
hopefuls
hopeless
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Cite this Entry

“Hopefuls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopefuls. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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