Synonyms for hopeful
- adjective
- noun
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Promising
promising, optimistic, sanguine, encouraging, bright, auspicious, cheerful, fair
Other
Noun
Definitions
- adj. 1
feeling hope
I have been very hopeful.
- n. 1
Someone who is hoping for success or victory, especially as a candidate in a political election.
Several presidential hopefuls are campaigning in New Hampshire this week.
Related words
- Word family
- hopefully
Forms
- Plural
- hopefuls → want-to-bes, aspirants, wannabees, aspirers…
Example sentences
- encouraging Tom keeps encouraging Mary to do things on her own.
- promising Tom says he doesn't remember promising to do that.
- optimistic Tom told Mary that he thought John was optimistic.
- sanguine They were sanguine about the company's prospects.
- expectant In Finland, expectant mothers are given a baby box by the state.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| hopeful | steady | |
| encouraging | steady | |
| promising | steady | |
| optimistic | steady | |
| sanguine | steady | |
| expectant | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- fair1
- 6 letters
- bright1
- 7 letters
- aspirer
- 8 letters
- cheerful2, sanguine2, aspirant3, wannabee3
- 9 letters
- promising3, expectant3
- 10 letters
- optimistic4, auspicious3, anticipant
- 11 letters
- encouraging4
- 12 letters
- anticipative
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (cheerful2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- encourageant
- Italiano
- incoraggiante
- Deutsch
- ermutigend