/hohp"feuh lee/ , adv.
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.
[ 1630-40; HOPEFUL + -LY ]
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.