expectation

expectation — noun

1. the pleasant feeling of looking forward to something good happening in the futur

1.nounB1
Definition

the pleasant feeling of looking forward to something good happening in the future, with confidence that it will come.

Example

Sumin's family had high expectations for her graduation day.

collocation: high expectations for

A crowd of supporters gathered at the airport with great expectations of victory.

plural form + great expectations

Common collocations
  • high expectations
  • great expectations
  • expectations of success
  • full of expectation
Synonyms
  • hope

    more personal and emotional; expectation implies stronger certainty

  • anticipation

    focuses on the act of looking forward rather than the feeling of confidence

  • optimism

    a general tendency to expect good things; broader than a single expectation

Antonyms
  • despair

    complete loss of hope; opposite emotional state

  • pessimism

    tendency to expect bad outcomes

Grammar Patterns

expectation of + noun

expectation that + clause

Usage Note

In this sense, the plural form 'expectations' is very common and often carries the same meaning — 'high hopes' — rather than referring to multiple specific items.

Common Mistakes

I have expectation you will come.
I have an expectation that you will come.
'expectation' is usually countable; use an article or plural form.
The expectation of the fans are high.
The expectations of the fans are high.
plural subject requires the plural noun 'expectations'.

2. a conviction, based on available information, that a specific event is likely to

2.nounB1
Definition

a conviction, based on available information, that a specific event is likely to take place.

Example

Meera checked the mailbox every day in expectation of a reply from the university.

in expectation of — fixed prepositional phrase

The expectation that interest rates would rise caused many people to sell their shares early.

expectation that + clause (anticipatory it structure)

Common collocations
  • in expectation of
  • contrary to expectations
  • against expectations
  • expectation that
Synonyms
  • anticipation

    stronger focus on the mental preparation for an event

  • prediction

    more formal and specific; often based on data or expertise

  • assumption

    something accepted as true without firm evidence

Antonyms
  • surprise

    an unexpected event; the opposite of what was expected

Grammar Patterns

expectation of + noun

expectation that + clause

in expectation of + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Frequently used in the fixed phrase 'in expectation of' (preposition + noun/gerund) to express the reason for an action. The plural 'expectations' can be used with 'contrary to' or 'against' to describe an outcome that differs from what people believed would happen.

Common Mistakes

Contrary to expectation, the experiment worked.
Contrary to expectations, the experiment worked.
in this fixed phrase, the plural form is standard.

❌ 'We cancelled the trip in expectation of a storm.' → This is correct — but learners often add 'the' after 'of': ❌ 'in expectation of the storm' when speaking generally.

3. an idea held by a person or group concerning the way things ought to be done or

3.nounB1
Definition

an idea held by a person or group concerning the way things ought to be done or the level of quality people should reach.

Example

The school has clear expectations for how students treat one another.

expectations for + how-clause

Asher felt the performance fell short of the audience's expectations.

collocation: fall short of expectations

Common collocations
  • meet expectations
  • exceed expectations
  • fall short of expectations
  • live up to expectations
  • social expectations
  • parental expectations
Synonyms
  • standard

    a measurable level of quality; more factual and less emotional

  • requirement

    something mandatory rather than hoped for

  • norm

    what is typical or usual in a group rather than what is demanded

Antonyms
  • exception

    a case that does not follow the expected rule

Grammar Patterns

expectations of + noun (person/institution)

expectation that + clause (behavioural norm)

Usage Note

This sense is almost always plural when referring to social or institutional norms. Singular is rarer and typically used with 'there is an expectation that...' to state a general rule. The verbs commonly used with this sense include: 'meet', 'exceed', 'fall short of', 'live up to', and 'lower'.

Common Mistakes

The teacher has high expectation for students.
The teacher has high expectations for students.
plural is standard when referring to standards.
The product did not meet our expectation.
The product did not meet our expectations.
the plural 'expectations' covers the full set of standards.

4. the strategy of telling people not to expect too much so that a negative outcome

4.nounB2
Definition

the strategy of telling people not to expect too much so that a negative outcome does not upset them, and a positive one feels like a bonus.

Example

The coach tried to lower expectations before the match against the stronger team.

collocation: lower expectations

By managing expectations carefully, the startup avoided disappointing its early investors.

managing expectations — common business collocation

Common collocations
  • manage expectations
  • lower expectations
  • keep expectations low
  • realistic expectations
  • temper expectations
Synonyms
  • realism

    focus on what is practically achievable rather than on deliberately setting low targets

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

lower/manage/keep down + expectations

Usage Note

This is a derived usage tied to the idiom 'manage expectations' (or 'lower expectations', 'temper expectations'). The verbs 'manage', 'lower', 'temper', and 'keep down' are the most common collocates. Unlike other senses, this one always refers to the deliberate strategy of keeping hopes modest.

5. in probability theory and statistics, the average value you expect to obtain fro

5.nounC1
Definition

in probability theory and statistics, the average value you expect to obtain from an experiment if you repeat it many times, calculated by multiplying each possible outcome by its probability and summing the results.

Example

The expectation of a fair six-sided dice roll is 3.5.

simple example: expectation of a dice roll

Rin checked the expectation of the raffle before buying a ticket.

applied use: expectation in a raffle decision

Common collocations
  • expectation of a variable
  • mathematical expectation
  • expectation E(X)
Synonyms
  • expected value

    more common term in everyday statistics; fully interchangeable

  • mean

    broader term; can refer to any average, not just probability-weighted

Grammar Patterns

expectation of + noun (variable)

expectation that + clause

Usage Note

In mathematics, this term is interchangeable with 'expected value' and 'mean'. It is a formal concept and rarely appears in everyday conversation. The synonym 'expected value' is more common in applied contexts such as gambling and finance.

Common Mistakes

The expectation of the coin flip is either heads or tails.
The expectation of a coin flip is 0.5 for heads.
expectation is a number, not an outcome.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words relate to looking forward to something, but they differ in certainty and scope. Hope is the most personal and emotional — you can hope for something with little evidence it will happen ('I hope the bus comes soon'). Anticipation focuses on the mental act of waiting and preparing for an event ('the children waited in eager anticipation'). Optimism is a broad personality trait or attitude: the general tendency to expect positive outcomes ('her optimism helped her through hard times'). Expectation (sense 1) sits between these: it shares hope's positivity but carries more confidence that the good outcome will actually occur. For example: 'She hoped for a bonus (wished for it), but her expectation was based on the company's strong profits (she had reason to believe it would happen).'

hope ↗anticipationoptimism ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in expectation of
  • contrary to expectations
  • against all expectations
  • beyond expectations

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Expectation comes from the Latin word 'expectatio', meaning 'an awaiting' or 'looking out for', which itself comes from the verb 'expectare' — a combination of 'ex-' (out) and 'spectare' (to look). This literal sense of 'looking out for something' evolved into the abstract idea of anticipating a future event. The word entered English through Old French 'expectation' in the 14th century and originally carried the same sense of waiting and anticipation it has today.