hopefully
adverb
Can hopefully mean 'I hope'?: Usage Guide
In the 1960s the second sense of hopefully ("it is hoped"), which dates to the early 18th century and had been in fairly widespread use since at least the 1930s, underwent a surge in popularity. A surge of criticism followed in reaction, but the criticism took no account of the grammar of adverbs. Hopefully when used to mean "it is hoped" is a member of a class of adverbs known as disjuncts. Disjuncts serve as a means by which the author or speaker can comment directly to the reader or hearer usually on the content of the sentence to which they are attached. Many other adverbs (such as interestingly, frankly, clearly, luckily, unfortunately) are similarly used; most are so ordinary as to excite no comment or interest whatsoever. The "it is hoped" sense of hopefully is entirely standard.
Examples of hopefully in a Sentence
Jake Ciely, New York Times, 31 July 2025
What happens over the next six weeks should give the Fed a clearer picture of the future and, hopefully, encourage the central bank to lower interest rates.
—Rohit Arora, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
With their weakest unit hopefully sorted, the Phillies got a significant boost toward a World Series run.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
War and Peace, hopefully all those really boring chapters about the philosophy of war would fall out and leave you with all the wonderful stories, chapters about the characters.
—Jessie Gaynor
july 31, Literary Hub, 31 July 2025
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Hopefully
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Cite this Entry
“Hopefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hopefully. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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hopefully
adverb
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