HOPEFUL Synonyms: 126 Similar and Opposite Words

hopeful 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhōp-fəl

Definition of hopeful

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

hopeful

2 of 2

noun

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hopeful

Adjective

Democrats are hopeful, because Talarico has a tiny lead in the polls. — Sam Sifton, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026 But a referral to a surgical oncologist left me feeling hopeful. — Stat Staff, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026

Noun

Another hopeful with a presence at the Hamptons is Elsinore, which made its East Coast premiere at the event. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 At this stage, polls suggest that Mélenchon and center-right candidate Edouard Philippe are behind far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, but ahead of a range of other hopefuls. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hopeful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hopeful

Adjective

According to the team, lab tests have already shown promising results.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
Monday morning is not exactly prime time for dealership traffic, but a handful of prospective customers were in the showroom, which is a promising sign.

— Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of promising

Adjective

Niccol personally assured us that Starbucks isn’t pursuing a Chipotle acquisition, and that the encouraging trends from its latest quarter are continuing.

— Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
For Hoffman, the evening’s results were encouraging but not necessarily conclusive, and the extensive use of guarantees should be taken with a grain of salt.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of encouraging

Noun

After all, states like Georgia and Arizona were also once solidly red until break-out candidates—backed by party spending—upended those assumptions.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
But most of the likely Democratic candidates simply don’t agree that a genocide happened in Gaza, and reject the question’s premise.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of candidate

Adjective

Still, Musk has a track record of setting optimistic release targets for Tesla products, only to miss them by years.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Yet Europe’s founders and investors see good reason to be optimistic – as long as EU leaders take further action, fast.

— Sophie Dembinski, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of optimistic

Adjective

Liu, who is not involved in the pope’s care, said that, of the different types of lung cancers, adenocarcinoma has the most favorable prognosis.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Many Laredo residents cross the border to run errands, taking advantage of lower grocery prices and a favorable exchange rate on the Mexican side of the river.

— Justin Papp, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of favorable

Noun

Trezavant Boyd and James Perrone are both contenders for the Nat Moore Trophy, an award recognizing South Florida's top high school football player.

— CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Fest director Susan Koch is landing more and more top Oscar contenders and talent every year, as well as Oscar pundits to cover them.

— Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of contender

Adjective

With Heather finally in a happy relationship, perhaps others had to sacrifice theirs to keep the balance.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
The report also highlights interest in happy-hour dining and value-focused restaurant experiences, suggesting diners want memorable outings without necessarily paying for a full dinner.

— Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of happy

Browse Nearby Words

hope (for)

hopeful

hopefully

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Hopeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hopeful. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hopeful

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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