Hopeful means feeling confident that something good will happen or that things will turn out well. When you're hopeful about trying out for the basketball team, you believe you have a real chance of making it. When your parents are hopeful about finding a new house, they trust that the right place will come along.

Being hopeful means facing reality while still seeing possibilities. A hopeful person acknowledges problems and challenges but believes things can improve. After failing a spelling test, a hopeful student thinks, “I can study harder and do better next time” rather than “I'm terrible at spelling and always will be.”

Hopeful can also describe something that shows promise or positive signs. A farmer might look at dark clouds on the horizon and call them a hopeful sign during a drought. A hopeful beginning to a soccer game might be when your team scores in the first few minutes.