Synonyms for hope
- noun
- verb
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Promise
promise, expectation, possibility, anticipation, prospect, expectancy
2. Optimism
Other
Verb
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
The feeling of trust, confidence, belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen.
There is still hope that we can find our missing cat.
- n. 2
The actual thing wished for.
- v. 1
To want (something) to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might [with that (+ clause); or (informal) with clause; or with so or (negative) not].
— Is he going to shut up soon? — I hope so.
Related words
- Word family
- hoped-for hopeful hopeless
- Phrases
- hope chest glimmer of hope great white hope ray of hope white hope
Choose the right word
We hope for that which we much desire and somewhat expect.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- promise You have to make good the promise for your mother.
- expectation Sorry to say, that expectation was ill-founded.
- anticipation The anticipation is always worse than the calamity.
- faith All the members but me have faith in what he says.
- optimism It is with hopelessness that true optimism begins.
- longing He never lost his whimsical longing for adventure.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| hope | steady | |
| promise | rising | |
| expectation | steady | |
| anticipation | rising | |
| faith | rising | |
| optimism | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- want1, mind1
- 5 letters
- trust1, faith1
- 6 letters
- expect2, desire3
- 7 letters
- promise2, longing2, confide2
- 8 letters
- prospect2, sunlight2, reliance3, optimism4
- 10 letters
- confidence3, dependence3, anticipate4, expectancy4, aspiration4
- 11 letters
- possibility5, expectation4
- 12 letters
- anticipation5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (expect2 = 2 syllables).