Hope

A Syrian refugee girl with a hopeful expression

Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.[1] As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish a desire with anticipation".[2]

Among its opposites are dejection, hopelessness, and despair.[3]

Hope finds expression through many dimensions of human life, including practical reasoning, the religious virtue of hope, legal doctrine, and literature alongside cultural and mythological aspects.

  1. ^ "Hope | Define Hope at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. 1992-11-27. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  2. ^ "Hope – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  3. ^ B. Kirkpatrick ed., Roget's Thesaurus (1995) pp. 852–3