contrary to expectations
idiom
: although people thought it would be different : even though people thought otherwise
Contrary to expectations, all of the birds survived.
Examples of contrary to expectations in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Paltrow’s family who accompanied her on the ski trip managed to stay off the witness stand, contrary to expectations going into the trial.
—
James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2023
What is new, contrary to expectations, is that these types of attacks have remained possible on BMCs that were using firmware QCT provided as recently as last month.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 26 May 2022
Most government officials expressed support for the deal — except the head of the antitrust authority whose mandate was subsequently not renewed, contrary to expectations.
—New York Times, 10 Mar. 2022
The unemployment rate rose from 6 percent to 6.1 percent, contrary to expectations but still down from a historic peak of 14.8 percent last April, the highest level since the Great Depression.
—NBC News, 7 May 2021
In all three countries, there was neither an unquenched thirst for Western-style democracy and capitalism, nor, contrary to expectations, were US soldiers universally welcomed as liberators.
—John Campbell, Quartz Africa, 3 Dec. 2020
Siu, analyzing transcripts from these experiments, has found that men and women contributed equally to discussions, contrary to expectations that men would dominate.
—Cathleen O’Grady, Science | AAAS, 29 Oct. 2020
With many businesses reopening, the government surprisingly announced Friday that contrary to expectations of further layoffs, the economy added 2.5 million jobs in May, and the unemployment rate fell from 14.7% to 13.3%.
—Mae Anderson, The Denver Post, 7 June 2020
Yet contrary to expectations, southern Africa is dry.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2018
James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2023
What is new, contrary to expectations, is that these types of attacks have remained possible on BMCs that were using firmware QCT provided as recently as last month.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 26 May 2022
Most government officials expressed support for the deal — except the head of the antitrust authority whose mandate was subsequently not renewed, contrary to expectations.
—New York Times, 10 Mar. 2022
The unemployment rate rose from 6 percent to 6.1 percent, contrary to expectations but still down from a historic peak of 14.8 percent last April, the highest level since the Great Depression.
—NBC News, 7 May 2021
In all three countries, there was neither an unquenched thirst for Western-style democracy and capitalism, nor, contrary to expectations, were US soldiers universally welcomed as liberators.
—John Campbell, Quartz Africa, 3 Dec. 2020
Siu, analyzing transcripts from these experiments, has found that men and women contributed equally to discussions, contrary to expectations that men would dominate.
—Cathleen O’Grady, Science | AAAS, 29 Oct. 2020
With many businesses reopening, the government surprisingly announced Friday that contrary to expectations of further layoffs, the economy added 2.5 million jobs in May, and the unemployment rate fell from 14.7% to 13.3%.
—Mae Anderson, The Denver Post, 7 June 2020
Yet contrary to expectations, southern Africa is dry.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contrary to expectations.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near contrary to expectations
Cite this Entry
“Contrary to expectations.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrary%20to%20expectations. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share