anticipatory
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anticipatory
First recorded in 1660–70; anticipate + -ory 1
Explanation
Anticipatory describes the feeling you get when you know what’s coming. It can also describe something that happens because something else is going to happen later — like that anticipatory excitement you feel the night before a big party. Anything anticipatory has to do with realizing something beforehand, or anticipating. It’s related to the feelings you get while waiting and preparing for something. Sometimes the worst part of being sick isn’t the feeling itself, but the anticipatory anxiety about getting sick again. It’s not the same as a sixth sense, but Spiderman’s spidey sense is anticipatory because it alerts him to future danger.
Vocabulary lists containing anticipatory
This Week in Words: June 15–21, 2019
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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.
Here are a few strategies for keeping anticipatory anxiety at bay.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Asked why the numbers were not higher, Pace highlighted "anticipatory action, being ready".
From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025
Plus, Dr Gray points out that "carents" can often struggle with what she calls a sense of "anticipatory grief".
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2025
We’re stuck in anticipatory pre-recession mode, and what’s coming next may not be so flush for any of us.
From Slate • May 20, 2025
She would have been thrilled at the prospect of seeing an important collection of ferns, and even felt some anticipatory tummy rumbles at the thought of eating what promised to be a truly delicious meal.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
