expectant

American  

[ik-spek-tuhnt] / ɪkˈspɛk tənt /

adjective

1. having expectations; expecting.

   an excited, expectant audience.

2. pregnant; expecting.

   an expectant mother.

3. characterized by expectations.

   an expectant attitude.

4. in expectation; expected; prospective.

   an expectant fortune.

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noun

1. a person who expects or who waits in expectation.

expectant British  

/ ɪkˈspɛktənt /

adjective

1. expecting, anticipating, or hopeful

   an expectant glance

2. having expectations, esp of possession of something or prosperity

3. pregnant

   an expectant mother

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noun

1. a person who expects something

2. obsolete a candidate for office, esp for ecclesiastical preferment

Other Word Forms

• expectantly adverb
• half-expectant adjective
• half-expectantly adverb
• nonexpectant adjective
• nonexpectantly adverb
• overexpectant adjective
• overexpectantly adverb
• preexpectant noun
• quasi-expectant adjective
• quasi-expectantly adverb
• unexpectant adjective
• unexpectantly adverb

Etymology

Origin of expectant

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin expectant- (stem of expectāns ), present participle of expectāre to expect; -ant

Example Sentences

The local health bureau in Yunnan province said such data was needed to identify expectant mothers.

From BBC

As the total attendance for the Test went past 200,000 – a record for the Adelaide Oval – showman Lyon had the expectant crowd in the palm of his hand.

From BBC

About 80% of pregnant women experience morning sickness, according to the NHS, with some expectant mums having such extreme nausea that they struggle with daily life.

From BBC

When it did, the hosts pounced, carried by the energy of the expectant Gabba crowd.

From BBC

The officials also said they don’t have enough therapeutic food to treat children with severe malnutrition, and that pregnancy complications are on the rise because expectant mothers have difficulties reaching hospitals.

From The Wall Street Journal