Hopeful person (8)
I believe the answer is:
optimist
'hopeful person' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for optimist that I've seen before include "Glass-half-full person" , "One expecting all to be well" , "Pangloss was" , "One always sees the glass as half-full" , "Someone with a bright and hopeful nature" .)