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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

hopefully en · ADV

Pronunciation

  • /ˈhoʊp.fə.li/ (US)
  • /ˈhəʊp.fə.li/ (UK)
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *tōhopōnder. Old English tōhopa Old English hopa Middle English hope English hope Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós Proto-Germanic *fullaz Proto-Germanic *-fullaz Old English -ful Middle English -ful English -ful English hopeful Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English hopefully From hopeful + -ly. The use as a sentence adverb first gained currency in the United States and has been explained as a possible calque of German hoffentlich.

Meanings

  1. In a hopeful manner.
    • ‘In fifteen minutes I will be at the carpark, sitting hopefully inside a puce Reliant Scimitar.’ 1993, Alasdair Gray, “You”, in Ten Tales Tall and True:
  2. (not-comparable) It is hoped that; I hope; we hope.
    • She was buried with her mom and hopefully they are together now.
    • Hopefully, my father will arrive in time for the show.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most hopefully Degree=Sup lexicographic
more hopefully Degree=Cmp lexicographic

Deriveds

it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive

Synonyms

fingers crossed (it is hoped that)

Translations (47)

es esperanzadamente (in a hopeful manner) · ar إن شاء الله (it is hoped that) · ja 願わくは (it is hoped that) · ca tant de bo (it is hoped that) · ja 願わくば (it is hoped that) · de hoffentlich (it is hoped that) · ru наде́юсь (it is hoped that) · it con buone speranze (in a hopeful manner) · ms mudah-mudahan (it is hoped that) · da forhåbentlig (it is hoped that) · eo espereble (in a hopeful manner) · tr umutla (in a hopeful manner) · nl hoopvol (in a hopeful manner) · pt oxalá (it is hoped that) · nl hopelijk (it is hoped that) · pt esperançosamente (in a hopeful manner) · it speranzosamente (it is hoped that) · hu remélhetőleg (it is hoped that) · nb forhåpentlig (it is hoped that) · nb forhåpentligvis (it is hoped that) · cmn 可望 (it is hoped that) · es Dios te oiga (it is hoped that) · fi toiveikkaasti (in a hopeful manner) · es quienquita (it is hoped that) · ms moga-moga (it is hoped that) · fi toivottavasti (it is hoped that) · de hoffnungsvoll (in a hopeful manner) · pt Deus te ouça (it is hoped that) · sv förhoppningsvis (it is hoped that) · is vonandi (it is hoped that) · tr ümitle (in a hopeful manner) · eo espereble (it is hoped that) · es ojalá (que/y) (it is hoped that) · sv hoppeligen (it is hoped that) · vo spelabo (it is hoped that) · cy gobeithio (it is hoped that) · es amalaya (it is hoped that) · ja 上手くいけば (it is hoped that) · ru с наде́ждой (in a hopeful manner) · nds hoäpentlik (it is hoped that) · sv hoppfullt (in a hopeful manner) · fr avec un peu de chance (it is hoped that) · fr en espérant que ... (it is hoped that) · cmn 但願 /但愿 (it is hoped that) · tr inşallah (it is hoped that) · ms semoga (it is hoped that) · pt tomara (it is hoped that)