expectation

[ek-spek-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or the state of expecting.

   to wait in expectation.

2. the act or state of looking forward or anticipating.

   Synonyms: trust, hope, anticipation, expectancy

3. an expectant mental attitude.

   a high pitch of expectation.

4. something expected; a thing looked forward to.

5. Often expectations. a prospect of future good or profit.

   to have great expectations.

6. the degree of probability that something will occur.

   There is little expectation that he will come.

7. Mathematics, Statistics.,  mathematical expectation.

8. the state of being expected.

   a large sum of money in expectation.

expectation

/ ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃən, ɪkˈspɛktətɪv /

noun

1. the act or state of expecting or the state of being expected

2. (usually plural) something looked forward to, whether feared or hoped for

   we have great expectations for his future

   their worst expectations

3. an attitude of expectancy or hope; anticipation

   to regard something with expectation

4. statistics

   1. the numerical probability that an event will occur

   2. another term for expected value

Other Word Forms

• expectational adjective
• expectationist noun
• overexpectation noun
• preexpectation noun
• superexpectation noun
• expectative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of expectation¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin ex(s)pectātiōn-, stem of ex(s)pectātiō “anticipation, suspense,” from ex(s)pectāt(us) (past participle of ex(s)pectāre “to look out for, await”) + -iō -ion; expect

Example Sentences

Rasgon asked whether anyone would really care if AMD missed AI expectations for the fourth quarter, given the magnitude of what lies ahead.

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“We had high expectations and that last race wasn’t just that she broke her maiden but she was aggressive.”

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Futures traders slashed their expectations of a December rate cut following his remarks, and now see only a 63 percent probability of a quarter-point move in December, according to CME Group data.

Read more on Barron's

It cut its full-year earnings per share guidance to a range of $14-$15 from $13.50-16.50, and lowered its production expectations.

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Adjusted earnings per share were 16 cents, exceeding analysts’ expectations.

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Related Words

• assumption 
• chance 
• confidence 
• fear 
• forecast 
• hope 
• intention 
• likelihood 
• notion 
• outlook 
• possibility 
• prediction 
• promise 
• prospect 
• trust 
• view