Wish
n.hopeful, joyfulwarm
Meaning 1
A sincere desire or hope for a valued outcome.
Reach for it when naming a personal hope without presenting it as a plan or prediction
Her birthday wish was for the whole family to share one meal.
Choose between these
4- warm
when imagination gives the desired future emotional scale
not when Dream can sound unrealistic or life-defining when the wish is modest.
- warm
when positive possibility feels credible or sustaining
not when Hope can persist without a specific desired outcome, while a wish usually names one.
- professional
when wanting should be stated neutrally and directly
not when Desire is stronger and can concern appetite rather than hopeful imagination.
- literary
longing
when distance or absence makes the desire emotionally deep
not when Longing introduces ache and overstates a light wish.
Meaning 2
An expression of goodwill for another person's future.
Reach for it when naming kind words offered for health, happiness, or success
Each card carried a specific wish for the couple's new life.
Choose between these
4- everyday
when the message marks an occasion or arrival
not when A greeting can be neutral and need not contain a future wish.
- warm
when spiritual approval or a solemn good wish is intended
not when Blessing can impose a religious frame the recipient does not share.
- formal
when benevolent feeling matters more than the words used
not when Goodwill is an attitude and may never be expressed as a wish.
- literary
when a formal spoken blessing closes a ceremony
not when Benediction is religious and far too formal for an ordinary card.
Said against
4- aversion
- indifference
- curse
- ill will
It naturally appears in
4- make a wish
The child paused to make a wish before blowing out the candles.
- dearest wish
Her dearest wish was to see the orchard protected for another generation.
- best wishes
Best wishes accompanied the practical offer of help.
- birthday wish
His birthday wish thanked the people who had made the year gentler.
Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English noun sense: a desire, hope, or longing opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Wiktionary, English noun sense: expression of hope for someone's welfare opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.