optimistically

adverb

as in positively
in a positive or optimistic manner After months of dwindling sales, the manager declared optimistically that "there is no place to go but up from here".

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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 optimistically The bill’s supporters optimistically stress how Thune has promised there will be a vote in September. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Aug. 2026 The doc ends optimistically with a brief shot of the Tesla Roadster prototype. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 26 July 2026 Maybe the projections are realistic, but the inter-company structures depend a lot on the types of numbers that executives often embrace over optimistically. — Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026 The running shoes go in optimistically, followed by the leggings and the sports bra, packed by someone who clearly has a genuine, healthy relationship with exercise. — Jennifer Noyes, Air Mail, 18 July 2026 Major League Baseball optimistically released its 2027 schedule on Thursday. — Staff Report, Oc Register, 16 July 2026 In addition to Musk, tech leaders like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, have all spoken optimistically about humanity entering a phase of interplanetary travel within their lifetimes. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 July 2026 Arnold has spoken optimistically about this being a point in time that changes perceptions of Iraq on the world stage, allowing a global audience to see a nation keen to project itself in a more positive light. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 9 June 2026 But the county found the Rays’ proposal leaned too optimistically on a sales tax known as the Community Investment Tax, which most commissioners said in 2024 would not go to a new stadium. — Nicolas Villamil, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optimistically
  1. positively
  2. confidently
  3. hopefully
  4. cheerfully
Adverb
  • As for why the driver has not been publicly identified, Barnes said police have positively identified him.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • That in-between space might hold the real reason many culture change initiatives never reach the people they are intended to positively affect.
    — Gwen Mdinaradze, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of positively
Adverb
  • Its heightened visual style moves confidently between romance, fantasy and black comedy, shifting tone without settling neatly into any one genre.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Some colleagues ask confidently for opportunities; others do valuable work with less visibility.
    — Bala Sathyanarayanan, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of confidently
Adverb
  • Grant’s comeback hopefully will bode well to an interior defensive line unit that has the Dolphins playing admirable—ranked 15th—against the run.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
  • These people would hopefully have already paid in advance for these pre-orders, so the bookstore is getting the money, regardless.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hopefully
Adverb
  • There were hundreds of bikers milling around cheerfully in the showery sunshine and proudly displaying their hogs.
    — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The camera pans across images of Boston’s historic Fenway Park and a grim-looking Schumer, contrasting those shots with footage of Collins cheerfully hobnobbing with Maine voters.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheerfully

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Cite this Entry

“Optimistically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optimistically. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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