1
: having qualities which inspire hope
hopeful signs of economic recovery
2
: full of hope : inclined to hope
hopefulness
noun
Examples of hopeful in a Sentence
Adjective
The mood is sad rather than hopeful.
He was hopeful that things would get better soon.
I still feel hopeful about the future.
She is hopeful of winning the race.
a hopeful tone of voice
There are hopeful signs that the crisis may end soon.
The movie has a hopeful ending.
Investigators report that there have been some hopeful developments in the case.
Noun
the three mayoral hopefuls are going to debate on local TV
Recent Examples on the Web
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026
And Gerald's vote in 2024 was a hopeful one.
—Tamara Keith, NPR, 19 May 2026
Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
The maybe-2028 presidential hopeful went on to boast that other states like New York are looking to copy a law California passed last year that regulates large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Ben’Imana offers no simple definitions of courage, but rather a feverishly human group portrait of its possible expressions, with the exceptional triumvirate of Nyirinkindi, Kabano and the radiant Nishimwe forming the story’s broken but still hopeful heart.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026
And Gerald's vote in 2024 was a hopeful one.
—Tamara Keith, NPR, 19 May 2026
Noun
Key Netflix films have gotten short runs in theaters before, such as Rian Johnson’s Knives Out movies and awards hopefuls.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
The maybe-2028 presidential hopeful went on to boast that other states like New York are looking to copy a law California passed last year that regulates large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
Cite this Entry
“Hopeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hopeful. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hopeful
1 of 2 adjective
hope·ful
ˈhōp-fəl 
1
: having qualities which inspire hope
2
: full of or inclined to hope
hopefulness
noun
hopeful
2 of 2 noun
: a person who has hopes or is considered promising
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