noun
expectancy
ihk-SPEHKTN-see
noun
1
A feeling of anticipation about something that is likely to happen.
"The crowd waited with a sense of expectancy as the results were announced."
2
A statistical figure showing how long or how much of something is likely, on average.
"Life expectancy in the country has risen sharply over the past decade."
How to Use Expectancy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe feeling of waiting for something to happen, or a calculated average of how likely or long something is.
Common pairings
life expectancy
a sense of expectancy
Word Forms
expectancies plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “expectancy”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The crowd waited with a sense of _____ as the results were announced.
Etymology
From "expectant" plus "-cy," or from "expect" plus "-ancy."