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
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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
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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
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Curry also remembered the future president being very eager for his then-girlfriend, Marla Maples, to be introduced to the film's director, Chris Columbus.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Oct. 2025
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Showgirl was introduced as an album that gives fans a look behind the Eras Tour curtain, so attendees of that tour were eager to not just relive the magic but learn more about Taylor’s thought processes during such a whirlwind time of her career.—
Eric Renner Brown,
Billboard,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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What Wright didn’t anticipate was that people still wouldn’t believe Laura is dead by the end of the finale, which concluded with a one year flash-forward of Daniel finally hearing the evidence and fearing now-wife Cherry, who is pregnant with their child.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
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Girls who play sports are more likely to attend college, less likely to become pregnant as teenagers, and more likely to land good jobs after graduation.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But over the weekend, the Japan Times reported that the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) planned to seek Komeito’s backing for a joint prime ministerial candidate.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
15 Oct. 2025
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Dark matter candidates, like weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPS), might connect to light via intermediate particles such as the top quark and Higgs boson.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Their watchful eyes and swift response can make all the difference in a water emergency.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Oct. 2025
-
His Emmys keep a watchful eye from beside his TV.—
Katherine Laidlaw,
HubSpot,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Athletic was there to speak with Olympic flag football hopefuls.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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The year is 1936, just as the art world is abuzz with the rise of surrealism, and the Belgian painter is joined by a renowned roster of hopefuls in Salvador Dalí (Iñaki Mur), Lee Miller (Florence Hall), Man Ray (Frank Bourke) and Max Ernst (Mike Hoffmann).—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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In a rare example of agency for a beneficiary community, 21 emerging Indigenous leaders recently crafted selection criteria, evaluated applicants and picked two dozen finalists to split a pool of $720,000.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
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The program’s new emphasis on higher wage earners, who will receive more slots in the visa lottery compared to recent college graduates, will favor older, more experienced applicants, said Ben Johnston, COO of Kapitus, a small business lender.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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 17 Oct. 2025.
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