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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hopeful
Dean Spiros, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025
Speigel is hopeful the new shareholders will get Six Flags back on track.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 17 Oct. 2025
This story of a logger (Joel Edgerton) working in the mountainous West as early-20th-century progress rolls over him like a wonder and a curse is the one movie in the streamer’s roster of Oscars hopefuls that people seem actually to love.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
Adjective
School officials are hopeful the two sides can more than simply co-exist.
—Dean Spiros, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025
Speigel is hopeful the new shareholders will get Six Flags back on track.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
That’s what six City Council hopefuls sought to answer at a busy forum Tuesday night, where roughly 150 residents gathered to meet the individuals running for two open seats at the helm of the city.
—Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 17 Oct. 2025
This story of a logger (Joel Edgerton) working in the mountainous West as early-20th-century progress rolls over him like a wonder and a curse is the one movie in the streamer’s roster of Oscars hopefuls that people seem actually to love.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopeful
Adjective
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More promising still is Dell’s use of Salesforce’s AI agents to automate parts of its supply chain, including onboarding new suppliers, which has cut its average onboarding time from months to days.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
-
While the New York Giants haven't played well over the past few years, there have been some promising signs over the past few weeks.—
Jon Conahan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The early signs are encouraging but the players are still adapting to Alonso’s demands.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
However, their performance was anything but encouraging.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Fifteen percent were undecided or backing another candidate.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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For physicians, our pipeline starts with medical students, continues through residency and fellowship, and culminates in selecting top candidates as attending surgeons.—
Prof. Dr. med. Mazda Farshad,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Jim interviewed Niccol last week and came away optimistic about the company's trajectory in 2026.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
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Ted is optimistic that this budding romance is the beginning of his Christmas comeback, but his looming holiday bad luck still has a few curveballs in store for him.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Rutgers-Eagleton’s mid-October survey mirrored that trend, finding 42 percent of voters viewed Sherrill favorably and 45 percent unfavorably, while Ciattarelli’s numbers were 41 percent favorable and 47 percent unfavorable.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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Pics such as Gladiator and series including Game of Thrones have shot there, taking advantage of the favorable tax rebate system and production hubs.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The new product casts OpenAI as a contender in this generation’s brewing browser wars.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
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Since debuting at the Venice Film Festival, the film has been tapped as a major Oscar contender.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The bright bubblegum-pink design has green sketches of the movie’s most iconic characters, including Glinda, Elphaba, Madame Morrible, and the Cowardly Lion, while gold accents add extra shine to the dishwasher-safe cup.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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Now, children laugh and study in the open-air structure, boasting candy-bright paint.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the photos, the couple can be seen smiling and lying on a bed of grass surrounded by an array of white florals, and celebrating their happy news with a sweet kiss and a bottle of champagne.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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So everyone is more or less happy.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hopeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopeful. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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