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hopefully

hopefully

896 2.7
Said when you want something to happen
  • adverb
  • /ˈhoʊpfəli/
translation icon : con suerte
  • "I've known most of you for years, and hopefully have earned your respect in that time."
  • Hopefully, this article
  • Hopefully, it will stimulate
  • Hopefully, more

Well, by that point, hopefully whoever gets there will.

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Examples

  • The latter part of this column will hopefully answer your questions and provide some guidance.

    Academic text (2012)
  • My research went fairly well, and hopefully we will get published for our work.

    Academic text (2008)
  • But that brings this one to a hopefully successful close.

  • So what can protect you hopefully against this disease?

  • Knowing that others will read my words, and hopefully benefit from them, is an added bonus.

    Academic text (1993)
  • We have a high-reliability schools network and, hopefully, more schools will join that network.

    Academic text (2015)
  • "Is it too soon?" he asked hopefully, and she shook her head.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Outside of school, children voluntarily play team sports, hopefully influenced by positive school experiences.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Such an approach to teaching is student-centered and would hopefully enhance better communication skills between teachers and students.

    Academic text (1991)
  • I studied hard for the exam, and hopefully, I will pass.

Synonyms

with any luck
vshopefully
  • Informal
37 3.5

If everything goes well

expresses the speaker's direct hope regardless of conditions

Antonyms

4 3.8

In a way that shows you are not sure and have little confidence

How Promising

promisingly
1 3.5
hopefully
896 2.7
doubtfully
4 3.8

Surface Forms

hopefully positive

Morphology

hopefully = hopeful (semi-transparent) = hope + ful + ly

The formation hopeful + -ly is a standard, regular adverbial derivation.

Etymology

Hopefully comes from the simple word hope and the adjective hopeful ('full of hope') with the ending -ly that turns it into a word showing hope. A helpful way to remember the sentence use is to think of hopefully as a short way to say 'I hope', which is why people put it at the start of a sentence to show they want something to happen.