expectation

American  

[ek-spek-tey-shuhn] / ˌɛk spɛkˈteɪ ʃən /

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.

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expectation British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of expectation

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

These gestures engender goodwill because music lovers have “an expectation of fairness” when buying concert tickets, said Pascal Courty, an economics professor at the University of Victoria.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Morgan Stanley analysts recently wrote the stock could rise 30%, partly on the expectation of more data center deals.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Analysts at JPMorgan, led by Georgina Johanan, wrote that an expectation of a 1% rise in sales in local currencies this month compared to the previous one is “arguably lackluster” given the improving data.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

While it would be nice if all companies delivered tightly written, plain-English reports, that isn’t a realistic expectation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

When the court scheduled a hearing in October 1987 on pretrial motions in Walter's case, Chestnut and Boynton showed up with no expectation that any of their motions would be granted.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

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