Hopelessly: meaning, definitions and examples

Use when referring to a situation where there is no expectation of improvement or success. Can describe both feelings and actions.

• He looked around the room hopelessly, realizing he had lost everything.
• She tried hopelessly to fix the broken vase.

Best used in situations where there is a sense of urgency and intense effort to change a difficult or dangerous situation.

• She desperately called for help as the fire spread quickly.
• He tried desperately to remember the password.

Appropriate when describing someone who seems lonely, abandoned, or unlikely to succeed. Often carries a sense of sadness.

• The child sat forlornly on the park bench, waiting for his parents.
• She gazed forlornly out of the window, wishing things were different.

Use when actions are performed with no chance of producing a useful result. Implies a sense of wasted effort.

• He futilely tried to clean the stained carpet, knowing it was ruined.
• She futilely argued with the manager, realizing there would be no refund.