hopelessly
gb/hˈoʊpləsli/ us/hˈoʊpləsli/
B2
English
~ 7800
reményvesztetten, kétségbeesetten, reménytelenül, menthetetlenül
B2
1
Usage pattern:
[someone] [does something] hopelessly
She looked at me hopelessly when the doctor shook his head.
Amikor az orvos megrázta a fejét, reményvesztetten nézett rám.
After the third failed attempt, he laughed hopelessly and put the tools away.
A harmadik sikertelen próbálkozás után reményvesztetten felnevetett, és elpakolta a szerszámokat.
The team waited hopelessly on the field as the final seconds ticked away.
He searched his pockets hopelessly, knowing the keys were already gone.
They tried hopelessly to save the old tree from the storm.
Learner examples
She cried hopelessly when she heard the bad news.
Reményvesztetten sírt, amikor meghallotta a rossz hírt.
He looked around the empty room hopelessly.
Reményvesztetten nézett körül az üres szobában.
The students waited hopelessly for the bus that never came.
I pulled on the door hopelessly, but it was locked.
They tried hopelessly to fix the old car.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'hopelessly' with 'hopefully'. 'Hopelessly' means 'without hope', while 'hopefully' usually means 'with hope' or is used as a sentence adverb (e.g., 'Hopefully, it will stop raining'). Another mistake is using 'hopelessly' directly before a clause, as in *'I am hopelessly that I will pass.'* You should say 'I feel hopeless about passing' or 'I hopelessly tried to pass.'
Meaning
in a way showing no hope
Collocations
look hopelessly
|stare hopelessly
|ask hopelessly
|cry hopelessly
|sigh hopelessly
|gesture hopelessly
Synonyms
despairingly (Very close in meaning; slightly more formal and literary.)
|
despondently (Emphasizes deep, ongoing sadness as well as lack of hope.)
Antonyms
hopefully (Means 'with hope' when used as a manner adverb, the emotional opposite of 'hopelessly'.)
|
confidently (Focuses on strong belief in success, the opposite attitude of acting without hope.)
Themes
emotions
|communication
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
In a way that shows you have no hope that things will be good or will work.
In a way that shows you do not believe success, improvement, or a good result is possible.
C1
2
Usage pattern:
hopelessly [adjective]
We were hopelessly lost in the narrow streets of the old town.
Reménytelenül eltévedtünk az óváros szűk utcáin.
She is hopelessly in love with him and refuses to see his faults.
Reménytelenül szerelmes belé, és nem hajlandó észrevenni a hibáit.
The software is hopelessly outdated and needs to be replaced.
By the time help arrived, the schedule was already hopelessly delayed.
He became hopelessly addicted to online games during the lockdown.
Learner examples
I was hopelessly lost in the new city.
Reménytelenül eltévedtem az új városban.
She is hopelessly in love with her first boyfriend.
Reménytelenül szerelmes az első barátjába.
This phone is hopelessly old and very slow.
The roads were hopelessly busy all day.
He is hopelessly addicted to sweet drinks.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'hopelessly' before positive adjectives where native speakers rarely do, such as *'hopelessly happy'*. While not always wrong, 'hopelessly' is usually used with negative or problematic states (lost, confused, addicted, late) or with strong love/romantic feelings. Another mistake is putting it after the adjective, as in *'lost hopelessly'*; the more natural order is 'hopelessly lost'.
Meaning
to an extreme, beyond-help degree
Collocations
hopelessly lost
|hopelessly in love
|hopelessly addicted
|hopelessly confused
|hopelessly outdated
|hopelessly romantic
Synonyms
extremely (A general intensifier; 'hopelessly' often suggests that the situation cannot be improved, not just high degree.)
|
irretrievably (Stresses that something cannot be recovered; more formal and less emotional than 'hopelessly'.)
Antonyms
slightly (Indicates a small degree, the opposite of the very high degree in 'hopelessly'.)
|
partly (Suggests something is only to some extent, contrasting with the total or beyond-help sense of 'hopelessly'.)
Themes
emotions
|evaluation
|intensity
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Very, very much, in a way that cannot be fixed or changed.
To a very great degree, especially so great that a situation, quality, or person cannot realistically be changed, improved, or helped.
Grammar
Dictionary form
hopelessly
IPA
GB/hˈoʊpləsli/
US/hˈoʊpləsli/
Syllables & stress
hope - lessly (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (hope)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: hopelessly
- Plural: hopelesslies
Word family
Expressions
hopelessly addicted
1/hˈoʊpləsli ədˈɪktɪd/
fixed phrase
completely unable to stop an addiction
To be so addicted to something that you feel you cannot stop using or doing it.
Examples
- By his late teens, he was hopelessly addicted to gambling.
- She became hopelessly addicted to social media and checked her phone every few minutes.
hopelessly in love
1/hˈoʊpləsli ˈɪn lˈʌv/
fixed phrase
completely and uncontrollably in love
To be very, very much in love with someone, in a way that you cannot control and that will probably not change.
Examples
- By the end of the summer they were hopelessly in love.
- He knows she will never feel the same, but he is still hopelessly in love with her.
hopelessly lost
1/hˈoʊpləsli lˈɔst/
fixed phrase
completely unable to find the way
To be in a place where you do not know where you are or how to get where you want to go at all.
Examples
- We took a wrong turn and soon found ourselves hopelessly lost in the forest.
- Without a map or a phone signal, they were hopelessly lost in the mountains.