expectancy

[ik-spek-tuh n-see]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR expectancy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ex·pect·an·cies.

the quality or state of expecting; expectation; anticipatory belief or desire.

the state of being expected.

an object of expectation; something expected.

Also ex·pect·ance.

Origin of expectancy

From the Medieval Latin word ex(s)pectantia, dating back to 1590–1600. See expectant, -ancy

Can be confusedexpectancy expectation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for expectancy

prospect, outlook, probability, calculation, prediction, supposition, suspense, trust, surmise, presumption, confidence, reliance, assumption, presentation, assurance, conjecture, belief, expectation, likelihood, presentiment

Examples from the Web for expectancy

Historical Examples of expectancy

England was in a condition of great political excitement and expectancy.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Otto and Pussy had taken their seats, full of excitement and expectancy.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri
All that forenoon, the little house throbbed with a curious sense of expectancy.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
It is very sure in expectancy, like the making of matrimonial matches.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 11, June 11, 1870
Various
There was thus a rather tense air of expectancy when the train pulled in.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for expectancy

expectancy

expectance

noun

something expected, esp on the basis of a norm or averagehis life expectancy was 30 years

anticipation; expectation

the prospect of a future interest or possession, esp in propertyan estate in expectancy

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

Word Origin and History for expectancy

1590s, from Latin expectantia (see expectant) + -ancy.