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hopefully

   Also found in: Idioms, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
hope·ful·ly  (hpf-l)
adv.
1. In a hopeful manner.
2. Usage Problem It is to be hoped: "Marriage is a coming together for better or for worse, hopefully enduring" (William O. Douglas).
Usage Note: Writers who use hopefully as a sentence adverb, as in Hopefully the measures will be adopted, should be aware that the usage is unacceptable to many critics, including a large majority of the Usage Panel. It is not easy to explain why critics dislike this use of hopefully. The use is justified by analogy to similar uses of many other adverbs, as in Mercifully, the play was brief or Frankly, I have no use for your friend. And though this use of hopefully may have been a vogue word when it first gained currency back in the early 1960s, it has long since lost any hint of jargon or pretentiousness for the general reader. The wide acceptance of the usage reflects popular recognition of its usefulness; there is no precise substitute. Someone who says Hopefully, the treaty will be ratified makes a hopeful prediction about the fate of the treaty, whereas someone who says I hope (or We hope or It is hoped) the treaty will be ratified expresses a bald statement about what is desired. Only the latter could be continued with a clause such as but it isn't likely. · It might have been expected, then, that the initial flurry of objections to hopefully would have subsided once the usage became well established. Instead, critics appear to have become more adamant in their opposition. In the 1969 Usage Panel survey, 44 percent of the Panel approved the usage, but this dropped to 27 percent in our 1986 survey. (By contrast, 60 percent in the latter survey accepted the comparable use of mercifully in the sentence Mercifully, the game ended before the opponents could add another touchdown to the lopsided score.) It is not the use of sentence adverbs per se that bothers the Panel; rather, the specific use of hopefully in this way has become a shibboleth.

hopefully [ˈhəʊpfʊlɪ]
adv
1. in a hopeful manner
2. Informal it is hoped hopefully they will be married soon
Usage: The use of hopefully to mean it is hoped used to be considered incorrect by some people but has now become acceptable in informal contexts
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adv.1.hopefully - with hope; in a hopeful manner; "we searched hopefully for a good position"
hopelessly - without hope; desperate because there seems no possibility of comfort or success; "he hung his head hopelessly"; "`I must die,' he said hopelessly"
2.hopefully - it is hoped; "hopefully the weather will be fine on Sunday"

hopefully
adverb
1. optimistically, confidently, expectantly, with anticipation, sanguinely 'Am I welcome?' He smiled hopefully.
2. (Informal) it is hoped, probably, all being well, God willing, conceivably, feasibly, expectedly Hopefully, you won't have any problems after reading this.
Translations
hopefully [ˈhəʊpfʊlɪ] ADV
1. (= with feeling of hope) "is he coming with us?" I asked hopefully-¿viene con nosostros? -pregunté esperanzado
I looked hopefully around the room for a glimpse of my luggagemiré por la habitación con esperanzas de ver mi equipaje
she smiled at me hopefullyme dirigió una sonrisa esperanzada
2. (= one hopes) hopefully we'll be able to sort something outcon un poco de suerte podremos arreglar algo
the new legislation, hopefully, will lead to some improvementses de esperar que la nueva legislación traiga consigo algunas mejoras
hopefully, it won't rainesperemos que no llueva

hopefully [ˈhəʊpfʊli] adv
(used as sentence adverb) (= let's hope that) → avec un peu de chance
Hopefully he'll make it in time → Avec un peu de chance, il arrivera à temps.
Hopefully, they'll come back → Avec un peu de chance, ils reviendront.
(= optimistically) → avec espoir, avec optimisme

hopefully
adv
ask, look, sayhoffnungsvoll; I looked hopefully around for a glimpse of my luggageich sah mich um, in der Hoffnung, mein Gepäck zu erspähen
(inf: introducing sentence or as answer: = with any luck) → hoffentlich

hopefully [ˈhəʊpfəlɪ] adv
a. (optimistically, speak) → con ottimismo, con speranza
to look hopefully at sb → guardare speranzoso/a qn
b. (one hopes, incorrect use) → si spera
hopefully he will recover → speriamo che si riprenda

hopefully [ˈhəʊpfəlɪ] adv
a. (optimistically, speak) → con ottimismo, con speranza
to look hopefully at sb → guardare speranzoso/a qn
b. (one hopes, incorrect use) → si spera
hopefully he will recover → speriamo che si riprenda

hopefully مفعم بالأمل nadějně forhåbentlig hoffnungsvoll αισιόδοξα con suerte toivottavasti avec espoir s nadom fiduciosamente 希望を持って 바라건대 hopelijk forhåpentligvis jak dobrze pójdzie confiantemente с надеждой förhoppningsvis ด้วยความหวังว่าจะสมหวัง umutla hy vọng rằng 但愿


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He had argued, pleaded, rebuked, and ignored by turns; and always and through all he had prayed--earnestly, hopefully.
But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab's voice was heard.
"You will allow me," he said hopefully, "to walk a little way with you?
 
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