Wishful

Wishful is an English adjective meaning full of wishes or inclined to wish for something rather than to consider it as certain. It is formed from the noun wish plus the suffix -ful, and is used to describe thoughts, beliefs, or plans that are guided more by desire than by evidence or probability.

In contemporary usage, wishful often appears in phrases such as wishful thinking, which denotes a cognitive bias where a person maintains a belief to achieve a desired outcome despite contrary evidence. The term can be applied to hopes, plans, or fantasies that seem attractive but are unlikely to come to pass. Because of this association, wishful can carry a neutral sense when describing imaginative or hopeful ideas, but it can also have a negative tone when it implies impracticality or poor judgment.

Common contexts include everyday speech, literary writing, and psychology or behavioral discussions. For example, one might speak of a "wishful plan" to highlight its lack of realistic grounding, or of someone having "wishful hopes" during a difficult situation. While not as common as other adjectives, wishful remains a standard descriptor for expressions rooted in longing or fantasy rather than solid probability.

See also: wish, wishing, longing, cognitive bias, wishful thinking.