hopefully

adverb

hope·ful·ly ˈhōp-fə-lē

Synonyms of hopefully next

: in a way that expresses desire with an expectation of fulfillment : in a hopeful manner

gazed up at us hopefully

: it is hoped : I hope : we hope

hopefully the rain will end soon

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

They gazed up at us hopefully. Hopefully, things will get better soon.

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.

Seeing a movie at a theatre is another way to stay away from your phone and hopefully become engaged in something that isn’t the election. —

Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024 The 49ers come out of the bye with a hopefully healthy Christian McCaffrey going up against a reeling Bucs team dealing with a ton of injuries. —

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 But once that process is decided — hopefully smoothly — the White House will have to start to work with Capitol Hill, which is where, for all the bluster of the presidency, the laws that govern the U.S. are written. —

Evan Clark, WWD, 5 Nov. 2024 The two didn't go into further details on why exactly their characters are sporting beards in RIP, but did share that the film should hopefully be released next year, though that is still officially to be determined by Netflix. —

Lauren Huff, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hopefully