wishful en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈwɪʃfəl/ (UK)
Etymology
From wish + -ful.
Meanings
-
(obsolete) Wished-for; desired, wanted.
The cry whereof entring the hollow cave / Eftsoones brought forth the villaine, as they ment, / With hope of her some wishfull boot to have.
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
-
Expressing a wish or longing for something.
When she weighed anchor I went to the waterside and looked at her with a very wishful and aching heart, and followed her with my eyes and tears until she was totally out of sight.
1789, Olaudah Equiano, chapter 5, in The Interesting Narrative, volume I:
- Aspiring, or seeking advancement.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more wishful | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most wishful | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
wishfulness · wishful hoping · wishful thinker · wishfully · wishful recycling · unwishful · wishful thinking · wishful thought
Translations (7)
sh željan (expressing a wish or longing for something) · gd togarrach (aspiring, or seeking advancement) · sh željan (aspiring, or seeking advancement) · pl życzeniowy (aspiring, or seeking advancement) · sh čežnjiv (expressing a wish or longing for something) · bg кандидатстващ (aspiring, or seeking advancement) · bg желаещ (expressing a wish or longing for something)