What does espoir mean?
Espoir is a noun meaning hope, borrowed directly from French, where it is the ordinary word for the emotion of expecting something good. In English it survives only as a rare, deliberately literary borrowing, chosen by writers who want the flavour of French or an air of refinement that the plainer word "hope" lacks. It usually denotes a hopeful expectation or aspiration rather than mere wishful thinking, and it can appear either uncountably, as an abstract feeling, or countably in the plural "espoirs" to mean particular hopes. The word descends from Latin sperare, "to hope," the same root that produced English "despair," which etymologically signifies being deprived of hope. Because of its foreign origin, espoir is best reserved for elevated prose, poetry, or translation; using it in casual speech would sound affected. Its value lies precisely in this rarity: it lends a sentence a note of wistful, continental elegance.
nounEspoir is a rare English borrowing from French meaning hope, especially a hopeful aspiration or expectation. It is used almost exclusively in literary or elevated contexts.
- A feeling of hope or hopeful expectation, especially in elevated or literary use.
"In her final letter she clung to one last espoir — that they might meet again in spring."
"The treaty was signed amid much espoir for a lasting peace."
"She carried into the new year an espoir that everything might yet be mended."
Usually uncountable as an abstract feeling; the plural is used when referring to distinct hopes or aspirations.
"The exiles clung to their espoirs of return."
"Espoir" is the French word for hope — the same root that gave us "despair," literally "de-espoir," to be robbed of hope.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of espoir
Espoir comes from Old French esperer, ultimately from Latin sperare, meaning "to hope." It entered English as a direct borrowing from Modern French, retained for its literary colour. It shares its Latin root with "despair" (from Latin desperare, "to lose hope") and with "esperance," an older English word for hope now largely obsolete.
How espoir is actually used
Espoir is uncommon in everyday English and carries a distinctly literary, French-inflected tone. It appears most often in translated fiction, poetry, and writing that deliberately borrows French vocabulary for elegance. It is typically uncountable, though it can take the plural "espoirs" when referring to individual hopes or aspirations.
Easily confused with espoir
Espieglerie means roguish playfulness, whereas espoir means hope; the words merely share a French origin.