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
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Recent Examples of hopeful
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … ROUGH ENDORSEMENT — CNBC host grills Elizabeth Warren on rallying with controversial Senate hopeful.
—FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Early voting in the midterm primaries starts Monday in Georgia, and voters were given a chance to see all the Republican hopefuls on one stage at the Atlanta Press Club debates Sunday.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
Adjective
By the end of that show, the anxiety and isolation that freight life in the closet had burned away, leaving a happy, hopeful ending in place of familiar narrative disaster; love is found, secrecy is banished, and all is well.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … ROUGH ENDORSEMENT — CNBC host grills Elizabeth Warren on rallying with controversial Senate hopeful.
—FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
The candidates, one running for the Senate in Virginia and two congressional hopefuls from Texas and Minnesota, were fined and banned from Kalshi for five years.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Early voting in the midterm primaries starts Monday in Georgia, and voters were given a chance to see all the Republican hopefuls on one stage at the Atlanta Press Club debates Sunday.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hopeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopeful
Adjective
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Against Newcastle, the freedom Eze had to roam was on an even bigger scale than the promising display in Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City last week.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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The robot is still in research and development on Earth right now, with proof-of-concept tests proving quite promising.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The Rockies, back home after an encouraging 4-2 road trip, were in control of the game early behind another strong start from veteran left-hander Jose Quintana and another big night from Mickey Moniak, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
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Kenyon told me that although the mice research is encouraging, a drug pathway that successfully extends a dog’s life will generate more enthusiasm among scientists who hope to try similar treatments on humans.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Ross Perot, Electronic Data Systems The Texas billionaire and two-time presidential candidate may have had the most cinematic route of the bunch.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The candidates themselves must live within the district’s boundaries, which stretch across large portions of northwest and west-central Georgia and include parts of western metro Atlanta.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Ahead of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting Saturday, the mood in the air was cautiously optimistic as new and returning investors weighed the company’s direction under a new chief executive.—
Yun Li,Alex Harring,Sarah Min,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
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Blue Origin has a long way to go before achieving 100 New Glenn flights, and doing it within three years sounds overly optimistic.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Consider a personal loan for debt consolidation For borrowers who can't qualify for a favorable balance transfer offer or for those who would prefer a different route, debt consolidation could make more sense.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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How to Get Around Montréal's ease and affordability are among its biggest draws for college students, and right now, the favorable exchange rate certainly helps.—
Megan Wallitsch,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Knicks now move on and remain a contender in the Eastern Conference.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez is a lead contender to replace Morales, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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After being bossed by Paris Saint-Germain across two legs in the Champions League quarter-final, Slot insisted the future remained bright at Liverpool.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Scientists have documented that increasingly brighter nights are altering animal behavior, reproduction cycles and survival.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That music was one of the only ways to communicate with his mom and formed the soundtrack to the mother and son’s happiest moments.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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For me, a happy ending would be Rue finally being free of all of her past mistakes that have led to her current situation.—
Zoë Haylock,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hopeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopeful. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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