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
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 hopeful
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
Although the exact nature of her injury remains unclear, WWE sources are hopeful that Cargill will be ready in time for the biggest event of the year.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Shayna Goldman, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Most Olympic hopefuls begin their training much earlier, but Spencer was undeterred.
—Susan Young, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for hopeful 
Adjective
Look, there are things about us the machines will never grasp — and yet hopeful.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
Although the exact nature of her injury remains unclear, WWE sources are hopeful that Cargill will be ready in time for the biggest event of the year.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Noun
And that is something a handful of playoff hopefuls should seriously consider as the 2025 deadline approaches.
—Shayna Goldman, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Most Olympic hopefuls begin their training much earlier, but Spencer was undeterred.
—Susan Young, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for hopeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopeful
Adjective
-
This year marks the 12th consecutive partnership between the Black List and Elwes to support a promising writer with independent sensibilities with in-person mentorship and exposure to the indie film world.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2025
-
The co-main event will be a women's strawweight title bout between champion Zhang Weili (25-3-0) and American challenger Tatiana Suarez (11-0-0), who remains undefeated so far in her promising career.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
So far, the few signs coming out of the White House have been encouraging for the socialist strongman.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2025
-
The result was a big victory, a fun game to watch and a legitimately encouraging one for this club.—
Thomas Drance,
The Athletic,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Typically, restaurants, bars, and other establishments in the service industry are the primary candidates for this credit.—
Jessica Ledingham, J.D.,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
-
Soucy could be a candidate to play on the right side if the Canucks keep him next season, too.—
Harman Dayal,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Last week, Trump struck an optimistic note about Saudi-Israel normalization, claiming Riyadh wasn’t demanding an independent Palestinian state in return.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN,
16 Feb. 2025
-
Rankin is optimistic at what feels like an ongoing theatrical recovery.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most favorable conditions for singles who are actively dating.—
Fernanda Galan,
Sacramento Bee,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Around nine in ten Catholics who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party have a favorable view of him, compared to 63 percent of Catholics who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Almost all our judges loved this Car of the Year contender.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
11 Feb. 2025
-
The final Oscar voting period has begun, and the year of multiple contenders has finally found its frontrunner.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The pressure, the this, the that, bright lights, nothing.—
Eric Nehm,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
-
In this case, bright, sensitive 10-year-old Chuang (Wang Shang) feels unwanted in multiple households.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
And so making Beijing happy is going to accrue to the financial benefit of Elon Musk and many billionaires who outsource work to China.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Feb. 2025
-
So Pete Alonso is back with the Mets and everyone is happy.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near hopeful
Cite this Entry
“Hopeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopeful. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share