See Also: wishful(dictionary)
wishful thinking(dictionary)

wishful (iou)



wishful adjective. E16.
[from WISH noun + -FUL.]
Such as is (to be) wished; desirable; desired. E16-M17.
a. Of the eye, a look, a feeling, etc.: full of desire; longing, yearning, wistful. Later also, expressing or indicative of a wish. L16.
wishful thinker a person who indulges in wishful thinking. wishful thinking belief or expectation founded on wishes rather than on what one has reason to suppose to be true.
Shakespeare 3 Henry VI To greet mine own land with my wishful sight. C. Bridges The forlorn wandering child casting a wishful, penitent look towards his Father's house.
b. Of a person: possessed by a wish for something specified or implied; wishing, desiring to do. M18.
wishfully adverb L16.
wishfulness noun E19.