Hopeful — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈhōp-fəl/ hope·ful

Meaning & Definition of Hopeful

Hopeful (adjective)

  1. having qualities which inspire hope
  2. full of hope, inclined to hope

Hopeful (noun)

  1. aspirant

Hopeful (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having qualities which inspire hope

    "economists are offering a hopeful forecast for a healthy economy in the coming year"

    similar: auspicious, bright, encouraging, fair, golden, heartening, likely, optimistic, promising, propitious, roseate, rose-colored, rosy, upbeat
    related: cheering, comforting, reassuring, soothing, assured, confident, decisive, doubtless, positive, sure, unhesitating, beamish, bullish, eupeptic, favorable, good
    opposite: bleak, dark, depressing, desperate, discouraging, disheartening, dismal, downbeat, dreary, gloomy, hopeless, inauspicious, pessimistic, unencouraging, unlikely, unpromising, unpropitious
    near: cheerless, comfortless, doubtful, dubious, uncertain, bearish, grim, negative, unfavorable, funereal, glum, gray, miserable, wretched

  2. pointing toward a happy outcome

    "in a hopeful response to the ad, several people called to say they'd seen our lost cat"

    similar: auspicious, bright, encouraging, favorable, golden, heartening, promising, propitious
    related: fortunate, fortuitous, happy, lucky, providential, advantageous, beneficial, profitable, prosperous, salutary
    opposite: dim, discouraging, disheartening, futureless, hopeless, inauspicious, unfavorable, unpromising, unpropitious
    near: unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky, calamitous, catastrophic, disastrous, fatal, ruinous, baleful, dark, dire, direful, doomy, foreboding, gloomy, ill, ill-boding, menacing, minatory, ominous, portentous, sinister, threatening

Hopeful (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award

    "the three mayoral hopefuls are going to debate on local TV"

    similar: applicant, applier, aspirant, campaigner, candidate, contender, expectant, prospect, seeker
    related: competitor, contestant, entrant, entry, favorite, qualifier, dark horse, spoiler, stalking horse, crown prince, favorite son, claimant, pretender, nominee, running mate
    opposite: noncandidate
    near: incumbent, officeholder, awardee, honoree, inductee, dropout

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hopeful

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hopeful:

auspicious, bright, encouraging, fair, golden, heartening, likely, optimistic, promising, propitious, roseate, rose-colored, rosy, upbeat, favorable, applicant, applier, aspirant, campaigner, candidate, contender, expectant, prospect, seeker

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hopeful

Words with the opposite meaning of Hopeful:

bleak, dark, depressing, desperate, discouraging, disheartening, dismal, downbeat, dreary, gloomy, hopeless, inauspicious, pessimistic, unencouraging, unlikely, unpromising, unpropitious, dim, futureless, unfavorable, noncandidate

Related Words for Hopeful

cheering, comforting, reassuring, soothing, assured, confident, decisive, doubtless, positive, sure, unhesitating, beamish, bullish, eupeptic, good, fortunate, fortuitous, happy, lucky, providential, advantageous, beneficial, profitable, prosperous, salutary, competitor, contestant, entrant, entry, favorite

Near Antonyms of Hopeful

cheerless, comfortless, doubtful, dubious, uncertain, bearish, grim, negative, funereal, glum, gray, miserable, wretched, unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky, calamitous, catastrophic, disastrous, fatal, ruinous, baleful, dire, direful, doomy, foreboding, ill, ill-boding, menacing, minatory

Word Forms of Hopeful

Derived words: hopefulness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Hopeful

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Hopeful

Words & Phrases Containing Hopeful

hopefully

Frequently Asked Questions about Hopeful

What does "Hopeful" mean?

"Hopeful" means having qualities which inspire hope. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: having qualities which inspire hope. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hopeful"?

Other words for "Hopeful" include auspicious, bright, encouraging, fair, golden, heartening, likely and optimistic. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hopeful" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hopeful"?

There are 64 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hopeful". Common alternatives include auspicious, bright, encouraging, fair, golden, heartening, likely, optimistic, promising and propitious.

What is the opposite of "Hopeful"?

Antonyms of "Hopeful" include bleak, dark, depressing, desperate, discouraging, disheartening, dismal and downbeat. Near antonyms include cheerless, comfortless, doubtful and dubious.

How do you use "Hopeful" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hopeful" in a sentence: "economists are offering a hopeful forecast for a healthy economy in the coming year"; "in a hopeful response to the ad, several people called to say they'd seen our lost cat"; "the three mayoral hopefuls are going to debate on local TV".

Is "Hopeful" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hopeful" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Hopeful" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Hopeful" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Hopeful"?

"Hopeful" is pronounced /ˈhōp-fəl/ and divided into syllables as hope·ful.