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]

As a deeply rooted aspect of human life, it encompasses several dimensions, such as hope required by practical reasoning in every action, the religious virtue of hope, psychological hope, the legal aspect of hope, along with the cultural and mythological approach.

  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