What does expectation mean?
Expectation is a noun describing the belief or anticipation that something specific will happen, or the standard one holds regarding how events should unfold or how people ought to behave. It appears constantly in everyday speech: we speak of meeting expectations, exceeding them, or falling short of them, and the plural form typically refers to such collective standards — a parent's expectations for a child, or a customer's expectations of service. The word derives from the Latin exspectatio, built on spectare, 'to look at', so at its root it conveys watching attentively for what lies ahead. Its connotations are largely neutral, though phrases like 'unrealistic expectations' or 'great expectations' can colour it with hope, pressure, or disappointment. Beyond ordinary usage, expectation has a precise technical meaning in mathematics, where it names the expected value of a random variable. Few abstract nouns are so woven into daily judgments about the future.
nounA belief or confident anticipation that something will happen or that someone will achieve or behave in a particular way. It can also denote the standard or level of quality one demands or regards as likely.
- A strong belief that something will happen or be the case.
- A standard of quality or behaviour that someone demands or anticipates from others.
- Confident anticipation of a future event, especially something hoped for (as in 'great expectations').
- (Mathematics) The expected value of a random variable; the average outcome weighted by probability.
"The film failed to live up to the enormous expectations created by its trailer."
"She had every expectation that her hard work would finally pay off."
"The restaurant's prices set high expectations for the quality of its food."
The plural is more common than the singular when referring to standards or anticipated outcomes, especially with adjectives like 'high', 'low', or 'realistic'.
"The new manager quickly realised the team's expectations did not match the available budget."
The Latin root of 'expectation' literally means 'to watch out for' — the same 'spect' you see in spectator, because to expect something was originally to keep your eyes on it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of expectation
Expectation comes from the Latin exspectatio, meaning 'an awaiting' or 'looking out for', formed on exspectare, 'to watch for', from spectare, 'to look at'. The word entered English via Old French expectacion in the late Middle Ages, with early attestation around the fifteenth century. It shares its Latin root spectare with a wide family of English words concerned with seeing, including inspect, spectator, and spectacle, while its direct relatives expect, expectant, and expectancy preserve the sense of awaiting what one watches for.
Related word forms
How expectation is actually used
Commonly used in the plural ('expectations') when referring to standards or anticipated outcomes. The singular often carries a sense of anticipation, as in 'great expectation'. In formal and mathematical registers, 'expectation' is the precise term for expected value.
Easily confused with expectation
An 'expectation' is a belief about what will happen, while an 'exception' is a person or thing excluded from a general rule.