against (all) expectations

phrase

: although people thought it would be different : although people thought otherwise

Against (all) expectations, the birds survived.

Examples of against (all) expectations in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And, of course, if Congress decides against all expectations to reform Social Security (rather than slap on an expensive bandage), once the trust fund is exhausted the long-term outlook would stabilize. — Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 19 Feb. 2026

Agencies have generally failed to measure actual regulatory outcomes against expectations, but new generative and agentic models, as well as more traditional AI data analytics tools, may be able to support such retrospective review. — Susan E. Dudley, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

For those trading based on events, recognizing these historical trends can prove advantageous, although actual performance against expectations will be crucial. — Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025

But Moody followed up with a Facebook message thanking the composer for his time in working with the class, and, against all expectations, Abels responded by asking for Moody’s reel. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 25 July 2025