1
as in eager
having or showing signs of eagerly awaiting something
expectant crowds gathered at the spot where the President was scheduled to make an appearance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pregnant
containing unborn young within the body
a medication that should not be taken by expectant women without permission from their doctors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in candidate
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
divinity students who were all expectants for a curacy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expectant
Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Myers takes what could easily become an underwhelming topic and elevates it to a song of yearning, expectant romance.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 18 Aug. 2025
Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
However, Reddit users were firmly on the expectant mom's side, noting that her mother-in-law's insistence on being included in the birth plans is steamrolling her wishes.
—Sara Belcher, People.com, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for expectant
Adjective
Franciscan Dyer to host free baby expo Franciscan Health Dyer is hosting a free baby expo for expectant families and new parents, a release said.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Myers takes what could easily become an underwhelming topic and elevates it to a song of yearning, expectant romance.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
That was the conclusion reached following an experiment in which the brains of 20 expectant fathers were scanned before and after the birth of a baby, and then compared with the brains of 17 childless men.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
However, Reddit users were firmly on the expectant mom's side, noting that her mother-in-law's insistence on being included in the birth plans is steamrolling her wishes.
—Sara Belcher, People.com, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for expectant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expectant
Adjective
-
To carry out her vision, McMahon has brought on at least 20 political appointees from ultraconservative think tanks and advocacy groups eager to de-emphasize public schools, which have educated students for roughly 200 years.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
8 Oct. 2025
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Following the splashy release of Sora 2, Musk — a founder of OpenAI who left the board in 2018 and has since become a fierce critic of the company and Altman — appeared particularly eager to plug his competitor product.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Those who are pregnant or unable to work due to a physical or mental condition remain exempt from the work requirements.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
-
In the book, Neeley opens up about getting pregnant while playing collegiate tennis at BYU, and her son’s father’s tragic death from a car accident that occurred before their child was born.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As part of his homework, Hanke provided a systemic analysis that narrowed a list of 239 potential candidates to the 50 most promising choices.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
-
He is considered a leading candidate.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Reuters — American golfer Vince Whaley had a particularly nerve-wracking encounter with a big-toothed onlooker at the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday, as he was forced to play a shot under the watchful gaze of a lurking alligator.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
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The show follows Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam), an unassuming and odd man, working his family’s farm under the watchful eye of his hateful and vicious mother, Augusta (Laurie Metcalf).—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In a morning session at the Sam Walton Hall at Walmart's new headquarters campus, Dunning was among several business owners called to the stage to practice their pitches before a crowd of other supplier hopefuls.—
Serenah McKay,
Arkansas Online,
7 Oct. 2025
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Up ⬆ One Battle After Another The Oscars are very much not determined by statistics; there are graveyards full of Oscar hopefuls that looked like winners on paper but ultimately didn’t connect with voters for some ephemeral reason or another.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Schmidt's presence courtside -- always adorned in the team's maroon and gold colors -- and her enthusiastic cheering on of the team drew attention from fans and national broadcasters.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The answer is an enthusiastic yes.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Chiefs have retained CAA ICON to evaluate those applicants.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Kaufman said in the two years since October 7, the Federation has had an increase in applicants for jobs, despite the increase in anti-Jewish incidents throughout the country.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Whereas imminent death brings finality, the fade is a gradual thief, replacing all things beautiful in life with anticipatory grief and change.—
Julie Devaney Hogan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Expectant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expectant. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
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