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
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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.
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Recent Examples of hopeful
Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2025
The worst example of a lack of awareness and anticipation for the second ball came at Aston Villa in January when former Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans put in a hopeful cross that should have been dealt with.
—Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025
While Monty got this year’s trophy, other hopefuls also scored points with spectators.
—Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
Adjective
In a surprisingly hopeful outcome for the Western series, Zane survives the surgery.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2025
The worst example of a lack of awareness and anticipation for the second ball came at Aston Villa in January when former Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans put in a hopeful cross that should have been dealt with.
—Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
Just look at how many Oscar nominees now start out at those two festivals — five of this year’s Best Picture hopefuls started at the two festivals with Cannes titles Anora and Emilia Perez and Venice entry The Brutalist dominating this year’s U.S. awards scene.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025
While Monty got this year’s trophy, other hopefuls also scored points with spectators.
—Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopeful
Adjective
-
His promising early baseball career took a back seat in 1943 when he was taken into the Navy and served as a radio operator on the USS Coral Sea during World War II.—
Daniel Brown,
The Athletic,
9 Mar. 2025
-
The fourth-round draft pick had a promising rookie season in 2024, even after sustaining a scary neck injury in late November.—
Alex Zietlow and,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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He was embraced by Lewis Hamilton's father, Anthony Hamilton, who then offered him encouraging words to boost his morale.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The current adoption trends are encouraging, particularly in healthcare and sustainability.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The mean number of external letters per candidate was 6.25.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
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Just whittling down a potential pool of hundreds of jury candidates is expected to last as many as three days at the end of April, the judge said, before the final panel undergoes voir dire questioning, scheduled to begin the first few days of May.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
James Fishback, the originator of the DOGE dividend idea, remains optimistic about the proposal's potential.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Anne Tergesen’s recent Wall Street Journal piece, The 401(k) Has Reached a Tipping Point in Its Takeover of American Retirement, paints an optimistic picture of a retirement system finally hitting its stride.—
Brian Menickella,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That may imply Ukrainian brigades are leaving Kursk, and giving up much of the terrain Zelensky hoped to trade back to Russia in exchange for a favorable ceasefire.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
-
In addition to this, negotiations about money, financial support, loans, taxes and mortgages will be favorable.—
Georgia Nicols,
The Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Both should be Final Four favorites and national title contenders.—
Sabreena Merchant,
The Athletic,
10 Mar. 2025
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This could be considered an important achievement for Byron, who also won the Daytona 500 this year, positioning himself as a strong Cup Series championship contender.—
Saajan Jogia,
Newsweek,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The flavor profile is sweet and bright and makes a great potluck side that will have everyone scooping out a big serving.—
Erin Hooker,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Mar. 2025
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That’s exactly what happens, but our eyes (which are not blessed with high dynamic range) see a bright side of the moon and an almost black side as Earth’s shadow travels across it.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
As for his future with BKFC, Stephens sounds happy with the organization, but unsure of what’s going on with his role in that promotion.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
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The Accountant 2 Subscribe to Deadline Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hopeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopeful. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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