The best hope synonym changes with the sentence: wish, optimism, aspiration, faith and expect each fit a different use. As a noun, hope can be a feeling, a goal or a chance; as a verb, it sits between wishing and expecting.
Below you get another word for hope in each sense, a scale of how sure each one sounds, real swaps, and the opposite of hope. The feelings and emotions hub lists related words such as hopeful and dream.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
wish, optimism, aspiration, faith, expectPart of speech
Noun and verbMost formal
aspiration, anticipateMost casual
fingers crossed, dreamStrongest
count on, faith, convictionAntonyms
despair, hopelessness, pessimismWatch out
Expect means you think it will happen. Hope only means you want it to.
Hope in its three noun senses
Ask what kind of hope your sentence holds.
| Kind | Swap | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A feeling | optimism, faith, confidence | The new coach brought fresh optimism. |
| A goal | aspiration, ambition, dream | Her aspiration is to open a clinic. |
| A chance | prospect, possibility, chance | There is little prospect of rain. |
Promise also works for the feeling a person or plan gives others: a young player with promise.
How sure does each verb sound
Each chip above sounds a little surer than the one before it. Wish is the softest and often covers things that may not happen: I wish it were Friday. Would like is open: you want it but make no prediction. Look forward to adds pleasure and assumes the event is planned. Expect means you believe it will happen. Count on means you are relying on it, so a letdown would hurt.
A tip: hope that takes a normal verb (I hope you win), but wish that usually shifts back a tense (I wish you had won).
The verb form keeps the same ladder. A natural hoping synonym is wishing, looking forward to, expecting or counting on, and another word for hoping in a letter is simply looking forward to: I am looking forward to your reply.
Sentences with a hope synonym swapped in
- Our hope is to finish by June becomes our aim is to finish by June.
- She never lost hope becomes she never lost faith.
- I hope to see you soon becomes I look forward to seeing you soon.
- Is there any hope of a refund becomes is there any chance of a refund.
- We are hoping for good weather becomes we have our fingers crossed for good weather.
- His hope of becoming a pilot becomes his ambition of becoming a pilot.
A thank-you email ends: "I hope to hear from you and hope the project goes well." Changing the first verb helps: "I look forward to hearing from you and hope the project goes well."
Choosing for letters, essays and texts
Cover letters: look forward to and would welcome sound confident without being pushy. Avoid I hope you will consider me, which can sound unsure.
Essays: optimism, aspiration and prospect read well. Use faith carefully, since some readers take it as religious belief.
Texts: fingers crossed, hopefully and here's hoping are friendly and short. The hopefully synonyms page has more adverb choices.
Close words that shift the meaning
Desire and wish both sit near hope, but desire is about wanting, with no sense of whether it will happen, and it can sound physical. Dream often suggests something far off. Trust usually points to a person or system (I trust the doctor); I trust that it went well is a formal, fairly confident way to say you assume it. Belief is about what is true, so it fits only the feeling sense.
Compare desire if you want words for wanting.
Opposite of hope
Despair and hopelessness are the direct antonyms and sound heavy. Pessimism is milder and describes an outlook. Doubt means you are unsure, and dread means you expect something bad. Resignation is accepting a bad result without a fight.
- After the third loss, despair set in.
- There is some pessimism about the deal.
For the emotion itself, see fear synonyms.
Frequently asked questions
Which words for hope carry more depth?
Aspiration, faith and longing carry more depth. Aspiration fits goals, faith fits trust in a future, and longing adds an ache of wanting.
Which synonym for hope suits formal writing?
Anticipate and aspire are the most formal verbs. As a noun, aspiration and expectation fit reports and speeches.
Can I use wish instead of hope?
Sometimes. I wish you luck works, but I wish you are well does not. Wish usually describes something unlikely, so it changes the tone.
What is the opposite of hope?
Despair and hopelessness are the main antonyms. Pessimism, doubt and dread are milder and fit many sentences better.
Is optimism the same as hope?
Close, but not the same. Optimism is a general habit of expecting good things, while hope is often about one outcome you want.