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.

Lower court cases will expose ambiguities that will need to be resolved by the appellate courts above them, hopefully providing change for the better. —

Joshua D. Smeltzer, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024 Now, there are tons of us hopefully serving as examples to young artists who want to start making hip-hop music. —

Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 9 Dec. 2024 The 5v5 game takes every mistake from the original game and improves upon it, and features new assets and technology to hopefully last as long as the original SMITE, which is still going. —

Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024 Try to keep items that have a shorter shelf life front and center so they’re not forgotten and hopefully used before their expiration date arrives. —

Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hopefully