as in candidates
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
the three mayoral hopefuls are going to debate on local TV
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hopefuls
Bottoms is one of four main Democratic hopefuls.
—
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The only stipulation was that all hopefuls for office could not team up with others and no local or national political parties were allowed.
—Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Conservative former congresswoman Keiko Fujimori has assured her spot in June’s ballot after taking the top slot among 35 presidential hopefuls.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
The initiative — part of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2026 casting — invites hopefuls across the country to audition for a chance to walk the iconic runway and earn a contract with IMG Models.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Making that case will take work, but he is widely viewed as a possible front runner in the party’s emerging field of presidential hopefuls.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
That way, the state’s substantial liberal voting base gets diluted among a platoon of Democratic hopefuls, pushing the two conservatives into the November runoff.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The eight inductees triumphed from the pool of 17 hopefuls trying to earn a spot, with one of them, Collins, now joining the exclusive Rock Hall Two-Timers Club due to his previous induction for Genesis.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
Originally introduced as a G League development team, Ignite offered NBA hopefuls an alternate path to the pros, with the opportunity to make money along the way.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The only stipulation was that all hopefuls for office could not team up with others and no local or national political parties were allowed.
—Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Conservative former congresswoman Keiko Fujimori has assured her spot in June’s ballot after taking the top slot among 35 presidential hopefuls.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
The initiative — part of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2026 casting — invites hopefuls across the country to audition for a chance to walk the iconic runway and earn a contract with IMG Models.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Making that case will take work, but he is widely viewed as a possible front runner in the party’s emerging field of presidential hopefuls.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
That way, the state’s substantial liberal voting base gets diluted among a platoon of Democratic hopefuls, pushing the two conservatives into the November runoff.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The eight inductees triumphed from the pool of 17 hopefuls trying to earn a spot, with one of them, Collins, now joining the exclusive Rock Hall Two-Timers Club due to his previous induction for Genesis.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
Originally introduced as a G League development team, Ignite offered NBA hopefuls an alternate path to the pros, with the opportunity to make money along the way.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopefuls
Noun
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Already the jobs issue in Hollywood has become a contentious part of the race for governor in California, with several candidates pledging to eliminate the $750 million cap put in place by Newsom, which already was more than double what the state was previously capped at.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
23 Apr. 2026
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In their quest to regain control of Congress, Democratic candidates are outpacing Republicans in midterm fundraising for key House and Senate races.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As the Spurs push to win it all, showing the supporting cast is still a playoff-level team is a good sign for the Spurs’ status as true title contenders.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, the race’s overall front-runner, dismissed the Democratic contenders seeking Newsom’s seal of approval as misguided and a waste of time.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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An additional four states — Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, and New York — require insurers to offer at least one Medigap policy to all applicants either year-round or during an annual enrollment period, depending on the state.—
Julie Appleby,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Even when applicants were approved, Black families often had to pay more.—
Chase Jordan
April 22,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hopefuls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopefuls. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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