hopefully

"Hopefully" has two main uses. Most often, it means you want something good to happen or think it may happen: "Hopefully, the rain will stop soon." In that kind of sentence, it is close to saying "I hope."

It can also describe the way someone does something, meaning "in a hopeful way." For example, "She looked hopefully at the door" means she looked at it with hope. This second use is older, but both uses are correct and common in modern English.

"Hopefully" is an adverb with two closely related uses. The most common use is at the start of a sentence, or near the start, to show that the speaker wants something to happen and thinks there is a good chance it will. If you say, "Hopefully, the package will arrive tomorrow," you mean "I hope the package will arrive tomorrow." This use is very common in everyday English and sounds natural in speech and in most writing.

The other use describes how a person does something. In this sense, it means "in a hopeful way." For example, "The boy waited hopefully by the window" shows that he was full of hope while he waited. This meaning is still correct and easy to understand, though it is less common than the sentence-opening use.

Some people used to object to the sentence-opening use, but it is now widely accepted in modern English. Even so, in very formal writing, some writers choose "I hope," "we hope," or another clearer phrase instead. In normal conversation and standard writing, though, "hopefully" is a simple and useful way to express hope, expectation, and a positive feeling about what may happen next.