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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expectant
Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 18 Sep. 2025
Attractions include kitschy traditions such as a butter-sculpting demonstration, in which a master carver crafts a bust of the winner of the annual Princess Kay of the Milky Way pageant, and the Miracle of Birth Center, displaying pens of expectant farm animals.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 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
Industry players were alert and expectant, even as costs at home remain high.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 18 Sep. 2025
Attractions include kitschy traditions such as a butter-sculpting demonstration, in which a master carver crafts a bust of the winner of the annual Princess Kay of the Milky Way pageant, and the Miracle of Birth Center, displaying pens of expectant farm animals.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 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
-
The evil-doing in question is simple enough, at least for a franchise that has always been built around the existence of a clandestine organization of magicians (The Eye) who love using their skills to take down bad guys and quite literally share the wealth with their eager audiences.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Ghana has been one of the first countries to make major Article 6 sales, and some other African nations are eager to follow, Ali Mohamed, Kenya’s special climate envoy, told Semafor.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Many of my pregnant patients start feeling nauseous weeks before their first prenatal appointment is scheduled.—
NPR,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Pillow menus are becoming increasingly common, with options ranging from ultra-soft to extra-firm, hypoallergenic, and even body pillows for pregnant travelers.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The movement helped propel Mohamed Muizzu, an opposition candidate from the anti-Indian People’s National Congress, to a surprise victory in the 2023 presidential election.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Brian Daboll, who had been viewed as a potential hot seat candidate, was removed from his job as head coach.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Richards, along with two fellow runners (played by Katy O’Brian and Please Don’t Destroy’s Martin Herlihy), must avoid the surveillance state’s ever-watchful eyes, stay hidden, keep on the move.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
-
The two temporarily set up shop in the ladies’ Miami home to keep a watchful eye on the neighbors, who were suspected of being jewelry thieves.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Leaving forwards Jenner and Clark at home allowed Canada to give consistent shifts to Olympic hopefuls like Kraemer, Miller, Julia Gosling and Jennifer Gardiner.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
However, Ramaswamy's campaign has pushed back against these results, arguing that the Republican hopeful has a wider appeal and that the poll is too narrow to reflect that.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Obama’s enthusiastic showings for both candidates was a test of whether his sway over the Democratic Party still remains after his support for Harris failed to boost her to the White House a year ago and angered black male voters who felt unfairly accused of sexism.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Thornton did not respond to our request for comment on this story, but IndieWire found proof of public interactions Bolea had with the actor, positioning them as enthusiastic supporters of each other’s work at a time when love for Art the Clown was spreading quickly.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Her decision comes two weeks after council members opened the process to new applicants, following a deadlock after city leaders could not agree who should be appointed to fill the seat.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
After a marathon of presentations and interviews Thursday, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors narrowed a field of 12 applicants to three finalists for sheriff — a position the board now has the rare opportunity to fill.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Haq said the agency is also preparing to deliver anticipatory electronic money distributions totaling $900,000 to meet urgent humanitarian needs for about 45,000 people.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The late Christopher Gray once wrote about the anticipatory destruction of the Cherokee Club, a sweet building from 1890 that was taken down in the late 1970s.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Expectant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expectant. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share