expectation
[noun]
Synonyms:
- probability, assumption, belief, conjecture, forecast, likelihood, presumption, supposition
- anticipation, apprehension, expectancy, hope, promise, suspense

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Related Words: design, hope, intention, motive, notion, prospect

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ex‧pec‧ta‧tion S3 W2 /ˌekspekˈteɪʃən/ noun
[Word Family: noun: expectancy, expectation; adverb: expectantly, unexpectedly; adjective: expectant, expected ≠ unexpected; verb: expect]

1. [uncountable and countable] what you think or hope will happen
expectation that
For some time he lived with the expectation that he was going to die.
in (the) expectation of something
Anne left Germany in the expectation of seeing her family again before very long.
against/contrary to (all) expectations
Against all expectations, getting up at five is actually easier in winter.
Having raised expectations (=made people more hopeful), he went on to help only a few people.
above/below expectations
Profits are below expectations.
beyond (sb’s) expectations
Gina has succeeded beyond our expectations.
The show exceeded all expectations (=was much better than expected).
come/live up to (sb’s) expectations
His performance did not live up to our expectations (=was not as good as we expected.)
The number of people who attended fell short of expectations (=was lower than expected).

2. [countable usually plural] a feeling or belief about the way something should be or how someone should behave
expectation of
Women who have high expectations of marriage are often disappointed.
Some people have totally unrealistic expectations of both medical and nursing staff.

3. expectation of life the number of years that someone is likely to live Synonym : life expectancy

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

expectation
noun
ADJ. great, high | low Many children start with low expectations.
growing, rising | heightened, increased Heightened expectations for educational progress had not been realized.
lowered | optimistic, positive | negative, pessimistic | normal The plaintiff is aged 30 and has a normal expectation of life.
clear, confident | legitimate (law), reasonable | false, naive, over-high, over-optimistic, unrealistic, unreasonable | disappointed There were disappointed expectations all round when the contents of his will became known. | wild This realization of our dreams surpassed even our wildest expectations.
future | general, widespread There is still a general expectation that married couples will have children.
popular, public | traditional | family, parental, social, teacher | market | economic | career, life
VERB + EXPECTATION have, hold You have unrealistic expectations. differences in the expectations held by different social groups
form the way in which expectations are formed
arouse, build up, create, raise, set up the high expectations aroused by civil rights legislation
heighten | lower, reduce Her approach to welfare sought to lower people's expectations and impose work discipline.
influence, shape trying to influence public expectations of the police
come/live up to, fulfil, match, meet, realize, satisfy Her new car has not lived up to her expectations.
exceed, go beyond, surpass | fall short of The reality of the holiday fell short of our expectations.
confound The rise in share price confounded expectations.
EXPECTATION + VERB rise, soar Once the government's promise was made, popular expectations soared.
PREP. against ~ Against all expectations, she was enjoying herself.
contrary to ~ The building work was completed on time, contrary to expectation.
below ~ What should you do when an employee's performance is disappointing and below expectation?
beyond ~ The scheme has produced results way beyond expectation. He had been successful beyond his expectations.
in the ~ of/that The article was written before the election result in the clear expectation of a Labour victory.
~ about the government's expectations about the economy
~ for We have high expectations for her future.
~ of We certainly had a reasonable expectation of success.
PHRASES have every expectation I have every expectation of cheering the team on to victory in the final. | in line with expectations The various categories of operating expenditure are broadly in line with expectations.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

expectation

high (=expecting that someone or something will be successful)
Like most parents, we have high expectations for our children.
low (=expecting that someone or something will not be very successful)
Their expectations of success were pretty low.
great expectations (=very high)
Emigrants sailed to America with great expectations.
reasonable expectations (=the expectation that something will probably be successful, but may not be)
It is a difficult operation, but we have reasonable expectations of success.
realistic expectations (=the expectation that bad things can happen as well as good things)
The disease is not curable, and patients must have realistic expectations.
unreasonable/unrealistic expectations (=expectations that are too high)
I think you had unrealistic expectations of what could be achieved in the time.
legitimate expectations law (=expectations based on someone's legal rights)
The men have legitimate expectations of a fair hearing.
growing/rising/increased expectations (=becoming higher)
China's economy will grow considerably over the next five years, bringing rising expectations of wealth.
general/popular/widespread expectations (=shared by a lot of people)
The general expectation was for married couples to have children.
family/parental expectations (=expectations that families or parents have for their children)
Parental expectations for a first child tend to be quite high.
social expectations (=relating to what society thinks or expects)
Social expectations of masculine and feminine behaviour changed drastically during the 1960s and '70s.
career expectations (=someone's expectations about how well they will do in their job)
People with low self-esteem usually have low career expectations.
have expectations (also hold expectations formal)
Many migrant workers had high expectations when they arrived, but not any more.
raise somebody's expectations (=make someone expect more success, money etc)
Having raised expectations, the government failed to live up to its promises.
lower somebody's expectations (=make someone expect less success, money etc)
If you can't afford your dream home, you may have to lower your expectations.
come up to/live up to somebody's expectations (=be as good as someone hoped or expected)
The match was boring, and didn't live up to our expectations at all.
fulfil/satisfy somebody's expectations formal (=be as good as someone hoped or expected)
The band failed to fulfil the fans' expectations.
exceed/surpass somebody's expectations (=be or do better than you hoped or expected)
The holiday exceeded our expectations.
fall below/fall short of somebody's expectations (=be worse that someone hoped or expected)
Our profits last year fell below expectations.
create expectations (=make people expect that something will happen)
The events of the last few weeks have created expectations of an economic recession.
confound somebody's expectations (=be different to what someone expected, in a way that surprises or confuses them)
The play totally confounds the audience's expectations.
above expectations (=higher, better, or more successful than expected)
Economic growth last month was above expectations.
below expectations (=lower, worse, or less successful than expected)
Retail sales in December were well below expectations.
beyond all expectations (=greater or better than someone expected)
The task took two months to complete, but it was successful far beyond all expectations.
against/contrary to expectations (=very different to what someone expected)
Contrary to our expectations, the share price actually increased.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲