Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for anticipation. Search instead for antiexpansion.
Synonyms

anticipation

American  
[an-tis-uh-pey-shuhn] / ænˌtɪs əˈpeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of anticipating or the state of being anticipated.

  2. realization in advance; foretaste.

  3. expectation or hope.

  4. previous notion; slight previous impression.

  5. intuition, foreknowledge, or prescience.

  6. Law. a premature withdrawal or assignment of money from a trust estate.

  7. Music. a tone introduced in advance of its harmony so that it sounds against the preceding chord.

anticipation British  
/ ænˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act of anticipating; expectation, premonition, or foresight

  2. the act of taking or dealing with funds before they are legally available or due

  3. music an unstressed, usually short note introduced before a downbeat and harmonically related to the chord immediately following it Compare suspension

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonanticipation noun

Etymology

Origin of anticipation

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French, from Latin anticipātiōn-, stem of anticipātiō “innate notion, preconception,” from anticipāt(us) “taken before, anticipated” (past participle of anticipāre “to take before”; anticipate ) + -iō -ion

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.

As the countdown clock restarted, the atmosphere turned to electric anticipation.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

“It keeps markets in a constant state of anticipation, as any unexpected deviation, whether toward a deeper slowdown or higher inflation, could significantly alter monetary policy expectations,” he says.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Nancy Tengler, CEO and CIO of Laffer Tengler Investments, is using the volatility to build up a position in high-quality equities in anticipation of a post-war rebound.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Each pregnancy began with quiet anticipation and ended in its undoing.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026

I stood up straighter, because I had been a little hunched in anticipation of the hug that seemed not to be forthcoming.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

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.