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hopefully

American  
[hohp-fuh-lee] / ˈhoʊp fə li /

adverb

  1. in a hopeful manner.

    We worked hopefully and energetically, thinking we might finish first.

  2. it is hoped; if all goes well.

    Hopefully, we will get to the show on time.
hopefully British  
/ ˈhəʊpfʊlɪ /

adverb

  1. in a hopeful manner

  2. informal it is hoped

    hopefully they will be here soon
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

Although some strongly object to its use as a sentence modifier, hopefully meaning “it is hoped (that)” has been in use since the 1930s and is fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing: Hopefully, tensions between the two nations will ease. This use of hopefully is parallel to that of certainly, curiously, frankly, regrettably, and other sentence modifiers.

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

Etymology

Origin of hopefully

First recorded in 1630–40; hopeful + -ly

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.