expectation
/,ekspek'teiʃn/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A belief or strong feeling that something will happen or be the case in the future: The state of anticipating or looking forward to a particular event or outcome.
- A standard or level of quality, performance, etc., that is considered likely or required: What is regarded as probable or as a reasonable demand.
- (Statistics) The mean of a random variable or distribution: The theoretical average value of a random variable, calculated as the sum of all possible values each multiplied by its probability.
Usage and Examples
- General Belief or Anticipation:
- Her expectation was that he would arrive on time. (She believed he would be punctual.)
- There is a widespread expectation that the company will announce record profits. (Many people believe this will happen.)
- Standard or Demand:
- The product failed to meet customer expectations. (It was not as good as customers thought it should be.)
- He has high expectations for his students. (He demands a high level of performance from them.)
- Statistical Term:
- The expectation of the dice roll is 3.5. (The theoretical average value is 3.5.)
Advanced Usage
- "Against all expectations": Contrary to what was believed would happen.
- Against all expectations, the underdog team won the championship.
- "To live up to expectations": To be as good as anticipated.
- The sequel lived up to the high expectations set by the first film.
- "Expectation of life" / "Life expectancy": The average period a person is expected to live.
- Advances in medicine have increased the expectation of life.
Variants and Related Words
- Expect (verb): To regard something as likely to happen.
- I expect the report by Friday.
- Expectant (adjective): Having or showing an excited feeling that something is about to happen.
- The expectant crowd waited for the announcement.
- Expectancy (noun): The state of thinking or hoping that something will happen.
- A feeling of nervous expectancy filled the room.
Synonyms
- Anticipation: The action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction.
- Assumption: A thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.
- Prospect: The possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring.
Related Phrases
- "Beyond expectation": Better or more than was anticipated.
- The success of the project was beyond all expectation.
- "Contrary to expectation": Different from what was believed would happen.
- Contrary to expectation, the meeting was very productive.
- "Manage expectations": To seek to prevent disappointment by influencing someone's hopes or demands.
- It's important to manage expectations before launching a new product.
Idioms
- "Great expectations": Hopes or ambitions for a very successful future (often from the Charles Dickens novel title).
- She moved to the city with great expectations.
- "To fall short of expectations": To not reach the level that was hoped for or demanded.
- Unfortunately, the sales figures fell short of expectations.
Noun
- the sum of the values of a random variable divided by the number of values
- the feeling that something is about to happen
- anticipating with confidence of fulfillment
- belief about (or mental picture of) the future