noun
anticipation
an-tis-ih-PAY-shun/ænˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃn/
A response occurring before an expected event.
The children wait with eager anticipation for their grandparents to arrive.
Etymology
Taking something beforehand became an image for forming a notion of it in advance. Anticipation now names the act or feeling of looking forward to what may happen.
In context
wait in anticipation for something phenomenal it's like the next thing up is a famous song that someone's going to sing
More examples
- We order extra chairs in anticipation of a larger audience.
- Her early use of the technique is an anticipation of later developments.
- A feeling of anticipation spreads through the theater before the curtain rises.
Forms
anticipate verb — To expect and respond before something happens.
Similar words
- expectation
- Can be a belief without readiness or emotional eagerness.
- foreshadowing
- Specifically signals something that will develop later.