A fervent wish is a strong desire for something that one hopes to achieve. The term can be broken down into two crossword solutions: HOPE (4 letters) and PIPEDREAM (9 letters). HOPE is an optimistic attitude of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. A pipedream is a fanciful, unrealistic, and impractical idea or HOPE. It is often used to describe a plan or goal that is unlikely to be achieved.