expectant
Americanadjective
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having expectations; expecting.
an excited, expectant audience.
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pregnant; expecting.
an expectant mother.
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characterized by expectations.
an expectant attitude.
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in expectation; expected; prospective.
an expectant fortune.
noun
adjective
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expecting, anticipating, or hopeful
an expectant glance
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having expectations, esp of possession of something or prosperity
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pregnant
an expectant mother
noun
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a person who expects something
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obsolete a candidate for office, esp for ecclesiastical preferment
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of expectant
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin expectant- (stem of expectāns ), present participle of expectāre to expect; see -ant
Explanation
If you're expectant, you're waiting excitedly for something. A throng of expectant fans might wait outside a concert venue, hoping for a glimpse of the band arriving. When someone's expectant, they are anticipating something good, eagerly awaiting it. When you're hoping for a call, your expectant glance might land on your cell phone every five minutes, and if you're especially hungry for lunch, you might keep an expectant eye on the clock during math class. Because pregnant women tend to be excitedly waiting for a baby to be born, they're also commonly described as expectant.
Vocabulary lists containing expectant
The Lemonade War
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Amina's Voice
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Salt to the Sea
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Expectant moms like this merit additional scrutiny because it’s unclear whether they have undetectable cancer or are healthy, says Macville, who’s also encountered them.
From Science Magazine • Dec. 4, 2024
Expectant mothers and women trying to conceive should continue to take supplementary folic acid - the synthetic version of the vitamin folate - as currently advised by medical practioners.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2024
Expectant people will have a choice of how to protect their newborn against RSV.
From Scientific American • Sep. 25, 2023
Expectant mothers can also give their children a head start toward a healthy birth weight and gut microbiome by consuming these supplements in late pregnancy.
From National Geographic • Sep. 12, 2023
Expectant eyebrows over her silver glasses, the middle part of her hair, go up to the ceiling.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
