anticipatory

adjective

an·​tic·​i·​pa·​to·​ry an-ˈti-sə-pə-ˌtȯr-ē 

: characterized by anticipation : anticipating

took anticipatory measures to prevent floods

Synonyms

• watchful
• expectant
• enthusiastic
• eager
• anxious
• anticipant

Examples of anticipatory in a Sentence

couldn't control his anticipatory excitement on Christmas morning

Recent Examples on the Web

While much of health-care hiring is driven by necessity, anticipatory hiring is picking up in retail and transportation for employers to get ahead of the holiday shopping season, signaling that businesses expect consumer spending to be strong through the rest of the year. —Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025

In the meantime, the musician is setting the anticipatory bar high. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2025

Some of the behavior of the economy in the 2nd quarter was anticipatory, and transitory. —George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

Over the last half-billion years, squid, octopuses and their kin have evolved much like a fireworks display, with long, anticipatory pauses interspersed with intense, explosive changes. —Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for anticipatory

• adjudicatory
• articulatory
• classificatory
• conciliatory
• congratulatory
• discriminatory
• ejaculatory
• emancipatory
• hallucinatory
• interlaboratory
• interrogatory
• investigatory

Legal Definition

anticipatory

adjective

an·​tic·​i·​pa·​tory an-ˈti-sə-pə-ˌtōr-ē 

: of or relating to a prior action that takes into account or forestalls a later action

an anticipatory challenge brought for declaratory and injunctive relief

—L. H. Tribe

anticipatorily

-ˌti-sə-pə-ˈtōr-ə-lē

adverb