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
Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 9 Feb. 2025
Dozens of beds, however, are being kept available for those who eventually sign up for the 14-day detox program on the floor below, which will hopefully launch in April.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025
Give it another 10 years and Meta will hopefully be able to retrofit the datacenter to run on zero-emissions advanced nuclear.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes, 8 Feb. 2025
Recently, a group of old ball players and graduates from Belle Plaine High School have come together to hopefully recognize one of there own as a baseball legacy member – Mr. Gerald (Jerry) Miller.
—Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hopefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hopefully. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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hopefully
adverb
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