expectation
noun
Simple meaning
The feeling that something is about to happen.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ehkspektayshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɛkspɛkˈteɪʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The act or state of expecting or looking forward to an event as about to happen.
The feeling that something is about to happen
The prospect of the future; grounds upon which something excellent is expected to occur; prospect of anything good to come, especially of property or rank.
Belief about (or mental picture of) the future
The value of any chance (as the prospect of prize or property) which depends upon some contingent event.
An implicit obligation or duty held by another in someone's view.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The act or state of expecting or looking forward to an event as about to happen.
Used this way, expectation is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It carries warmth, so it reads as personal rather than detached.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Hopeful and forward-looking
- Usage feel
- Warm and expressive
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use expectation
- “My main expectation is that everyone tries their very best.”
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: act or state of expecting
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.