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
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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
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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
Pamela Brill, Parents, 7 Apr. 2026
The expectant princess made headlines in a single-shoulder, drop-waist Bruce Oldfield gown in vivid, blue silk.
—Natalie Arroyo Camacho, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026
Michael D. Snediker, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025
In the end, this expectant father learned a valuable — and slightly embarrassing — lesson: sometimes, the best thing to say during a poignant moment is nothing at all.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for expectant
Adjective
From postpartum recovery to nursing know-hows, here are the winners of Parents Best for Baby Awards for new and expectant parents.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 7 Apr. 2026
The expectant princess made headlines in a single-shoulder, drop-waist Bruce Oldfield gown in vivid, blue silk.
—Natalie Arroyo Camacho, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
Meniscus augur & hour of errors as the mercury rag spills its rings
from his last good pore, his teeth shaped in greenhouse suet or little
expectant pots of orchid balm in snow.
—Michael D. Snediker, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025
In the end, this expectant father learned a valuable — and slightly embarrassing — lesson: sometimes, the best thing to say during a poignant moment is nothing at all.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for expectant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expectant
Adjective
-
Trump had used the act to plaster taxes on imports with eager abandon.—
Paul Wiseman,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Kay isn’t some kind of unhinged chaos agent or emotional thrill-seeker (well, maybe just a little), but rather an adventurous artist eager to dig deep beneath the surface.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Fasold was one of six surrogates who were still pregnant at the time of Silvia and Guojun’s arrest.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
Madison, who got pregnant three years after Felix in 2021, felt pressure to return to the track immediately.—
Tina Sturdevant,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Two other candidates, tech entrepreneur Adam Miller and community organizer Rae Huang, criticized NBC4’s decision to exclude them from the debate.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
Several of the candidates have been arrested for the posts.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
During construction, the Feins purchased the house next door and lived there, keeping a watchful eye on the work.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
-
Viktor Arvidsson, who was knocked woozy and out of the lineup on a high hit from the Sabres’ Mattias Samuelsson in Game 4, was skating under the watchful eye of skating and skills coach John McLean at Warrior Ice Arena on Friday morning.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Thanks to a bevy of injuries to their star players as well as the fatigue of having to play meaningful hockey well into the month of June three seasons in a row, the Cats went from postseason locks as recently as January to NHL Draft lottery hopefuls in the span of four months.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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Recipients of the prestigious award in recent years include other eventual Academy hopefuls, including Anora director Sean Baker, Anatomy of a Fall director Justine Triet, and Triangle of Sadness director Ruben Östlund.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Verdier says the increasing regulation in the car industry and the push to move away from fossil fuels are part of the reason why Ferrari is so enthusiastic about this project.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
Skaters ages 6-11 showed off their nose grinds, kickflips and wall rides to an enthusiastic early crowd.—
Tony Le Calvez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Noun
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To qualify for the program, applicants must have an industrial site of at least 30 contiguous acres of land that is listed on the Arkansas Site Selection Database and that is owned or optioned by the applicant.—
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Cato report found that in all, total green card approvals under USCIS, the agency in charge of processing immigration benefits, had been cut in half for applicants from all countries.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In typical Aman fashion, service is incredibly anticipatory and proactive.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Rather than being glued to our phones for updates, in the not-so-distant future, where personal data and context is always streamed, our devices will become anticipatory.—
Alyson Shontell,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expectant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expectant. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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