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
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.
But this wishful vision of a more democratic future proved naive. Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2020 The wishful hope that the criminals in charge of the Venezuelan regime can somehow be persuaded to accede to their own ruin is just that—a hope—and certainly not a proper basis for diplomatic action. Moisés Naím, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2021 But the road from wishful innovation to transformative reality has yet to be constructed. Peter Andersen, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 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 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 22 Jan. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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