wishful
part of speech
adjective (wishful)
meaning for a pupil
1) Wanting or hoping for something. tree →
2) "Wishful thinking" means believing that something is true or will happen only because you want it to, not because it is likely. tree →
sense in the lessons
Mostly heard in "wishful thinking": "Thinking there won't be homework this weekend is wishful thinking." It warns that a hope is not based on facts. In stories it can describe a hopeful look: "a wishful glance at the cake". Phrases: "wishful thinking", "a wishful look".
examples
- Hoping the test will be cancelled is just wishful thinking. tree →
- He gave a wishful look at the toy in the shop window. tree →
- Thinking our team will win 10–0 is wishful thinking. tree →
- "Maybe it'll snow on Christmas Day," she said in a wishful voice. tree →
- Believing the homework will do itself is wishful thinking. tree →
- The dog gave a wishful glance at my sandwich. tree →
note
Adjective from "wish" plus -ful (one l). Adverb: wishfully. In science and maths, wishful thinking is a trap: check the facts and evidence instead of believing what you want.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «wishful» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.