hopefully

[ hohp-fuh-lee ]
See synonyms for hopefully on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. in a hopeful manner: We worked hopefully and energetically, thinking we might finish first.

  2. it is hoped; if all goes well: Hopefully, we will get to the show on time.

Origin of hopefully

1
First recorded in 1630–40; hopeful + -ly

usage note For hopefully

Although some strongly object to its use as a sentence modifier, hopefully meaning “it is hoped (that)” has been in use since the 1930s and is fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing: Hopefully, tensions between the two nations will ease. This use of hopefully is parallel to that of certainly, curiously, frankly, regrettably, and other sentence modifiers.

Words Nearby hopefully

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hopefully in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hopefully

hopefully

/ (ˈhəʊpfʊlɪ) /


adverb
  1. in a hopeful manner

  2. informal it is hoped: hopefully they will be here soon

usage For hopefully

The use of hopefully to mean it is hoped used to be considered incorrect by some people but has now become acceptable in informal contexts

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012