Definition

1. 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

1. the sum of the values of a random variable divided by the number of values
2. the feeling that something is about to happen
3. anticipating with confidence of fulfillment
4. belief about (or mental picture of) the future