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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expectant
Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 26 Nov. 2025
Topics often focus on family health and preventive practices, including classes for expectant parents, people managing stress or anxiety.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 3 Nov. 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
Just follow the smell of caramel, and wait or a sample to magically appear in your expectant hands.
—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.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for expectant
Adjective
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The 23-year-old Shou, a lifelong Fremont resident, won out over hundreds of others eager to play 17-year-old Joe, a troubled San Gabriel Valley area high school student with schizophrenia whose distraught mom Irene (Liu, in a transformative performance) is dying of cancer.—
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Hosted by Variety’s Angelique Jackson and Marc Malkin, the pre-show will deliver exclusive access, must-see interviews and real-time coverage from the first spot on the carpet, serving as the ultimate destination for fans eager to experience the night unfold.—
Adjective
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The actress became pregnant with their first child while filming season 3 of The Rookie, and instead of strategically concealing her pregnancy to play Angela, creator Alexi Hawley simply wrote it into Diaz's character's storyline.—
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In the fine print of its overhauled recommendations, the CDC suggests an initial RSV dose for infants under 8 months if their mothers did not get an RSV shot while pregnant, and a second dose for children with underlying issues like chronic lung disease.—
Noun
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Salyer has been perhaps the best candidate at left tackle, having been a starter earlier in his career.—
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The closest candidate is Bucs receiver Emeka Egbuka with 938 and tight end Tyler Warren with 817.—
Adjective
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Browning butter is simple to do but requires a watchful eye and keen senses.—
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Otherwise, keep a watchful eye on these under the broiler.—
Noun
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Meanwhile, Oscar hopefuls Frankenstein, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme each nabbed three.—
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One progressive hopeful says efforts to copy his popular style are pointless without concrete policy plans.—
Adjective
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View gallery - 9 images Designed as a permanent home for a couple of enthusiastic travelers, the Bespoke Base doesn't compromise on comfort.—
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McNally’s enthusiastic endorsement of Altadena and its agrarian and esthetic charms led wealthy families from the Midwest and East to [build] their winter homes in Altadena.—
Noun
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After approval, the Department of Finance will mail cards -- which will include the name and address of the farm, the issue date and a unique card number -- to the applicants.—
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While many campuses were delaying scholarship decisions until the government resolved problems with a new financial aid form, Swarthmore used other data to figure out applicants’ financial need.—
Adjective
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But anticipatory stress is just one of the possible reasons behind these perpetual feelings of sadness during the holidays.—
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Didion’s book illuminated anticipatory grief and gave me language for my experience.—
Cite this Entry
“Expectant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expectant. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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