hopeful

English

Alternative forms

• hopefull (archaic)

Etymology

From hope +‎ -ful.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhəʊpfəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhoʊpfəl/
• Hyphenation: hope‧ful

Adjective

hopeful (comparative more hopeful, superlative most hopeful)

1. feeling hope

   I have been very hopeful.

   I am hopeful that I will recover from the disease.

   • 2024 February 26, Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear, “Biden Says He’s Hopeful for a Gaza Cease-Fire Within a Week”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Speaking with reporters during a stop in New York, Mr. Biden offered the most hopeful assessment of the hostage talks by any major figure in many days, suggesting that the war might be close to a major turning point.

2. inspiring hope

   It looks hopeful that my father will be able to walk again.

   • 2024 September 11, Katie Rogers, Matt Stevens and Emily Cochrane, “How Taylor Swift Surprised Harris, and Entered a New Political Era”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     The night was further proof that the Democratic Party’s cruel summer had given way to a more hopeful election season.

Antonyms

• hopeless
• desperate
• dejected

Derived terms

• hopefully
• hopefulness
• hopeful monster

Translations

feeling hope

• Bulgarian: надяващ се (nadjavašt se)
• Catalan: esperançat
• Danish: håbefuld
• Esperanto: esperebla, esperplena
• Finnish: toiveikas (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient: εὔελπις (eúelpis)

• Irish: misniúil
• Italian: speranzoso (it)
• Macedonian: на́дежен (nádežen)
• Plautdietsch: hopnungsvoll
• Serbo-Croatian: pun nade
• Spanish: esperanzado (es)
• Swedish: hoppfull (sv)
• Talysh:

  Asalemi: اومیدوار (umidavâr)

• Turkish: umutlu (tr)
• Uyghur: ئۈمىدۋار (ümidwar)

inspiring hope

• Bulgarian: обнадеждаващ (bg) (obnadeždavašt), многообещаващ (bg) (mnogoobeštavašt)
• Catalan: esperançador
• Czech: nadějný (cs)
• Finnish: toivoa herättävä
• Greek:

  Ancient: εὔελπις (eúelpis)

• Macedonian: охрабру́вачки (ohrabrúvački)
• Russian: обнадёживающий (ru) m (obnadjóživajuščij)
• Serbo-Croatian: koji ulijeva nadu
• Somali: rajo
• Spanish: esperanzador
• Swedish: hoppingivande

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: hoopvol (nl) (feeling hope), hoopgevend (nl) (promising)
• French: encourageant (fr)
• German: hoffnungsvoll (de)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ھیوادار (hîwadar)

  Northern Kurdish: hêvîdar (ku), umêdewar (ku), bihêvî (ku)

• Scottish Gaelic: gealltanach, dòchasach

Noun

hopeful (plural hopefuls)

1. Someone who is hoping for success or victory, especially as a candidate in a political election.

   Several presidential hopefuls are campaigning in New Hampshire this week.

   • 2023 July 4, Jonathan Weisman and Jazmine Ulloa, “The Republican Who Didn’t Campaign on Independence Day? Trump.”, in The New York Times‎^[3]:

     Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and several other Republican presidential hopefuls spent Tuesday in New Hampshire, while Mike Pence, the former vice president, was in Iowa.