hopefully Definition

1. In a hopeful way.
2. colloq
It is to be hoped, if all goes according to plan.

○ In sense 2, hopefully is called a 'sentence adverb', because it qualifies the whole sentence and not just one word or phrase in it &wbox; . There are many sentence adverbs, eg clearly, honestly, really, thankfully, undoubtedly, usually, etc, as you will see in these examples &wbox; &wbox; &wbox; &wbox;

○ Most of these uses pass unnoticed, but for some reason many people dislike this use of hopefully. It may have something to do with its meaning (with its suggestion of likely disappointment) and the fact that it is originally North American. It is not usually ambiguous, except in rare cases like the following (where intonation usually clarifies) &wbox;