anticipation

[an-tis-uh-pey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of anticipating or the state of being anticipated.

2. realization in advance; foretaste.

3. expectation or hope.

4. previous notion; slight previous impression.

5. intuition, foreknowledge, or prescience.

6. Law.,  a premature withdrawal or assignment of money from a trust estate.

7. Music.,  a tone introduced in advance of its harmony so that it sounds against the preceding chord.

anticipation

/ ænˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of anticipating; expectation, premonition, or foresight

2. the act of taking or dealing with funds before they are legally available or due

3. music an unstressed, usually short note introduced before a downbeat and harmonically related to the chord immediately following it Compare suspension

Other Word Forms

• nonanticipation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of anticipation¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French, from Latin anticipātiōn-, stem of anticipātiō “innate notion, preconception,” from anticipāt(us) “taken before, anticipated” (past participle of anticipāre “to take before”; anticipate ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

Nor do they have the incredible movement, anticipation and reflexes that he does that make him such an unmanageable monstrosity for defenders.

From BBC

It comes after Israel carried out a strike on senior Hamas leaders in Qatar's capital Doha, and warned all residents of Gaza City to leave immediately in anticipation of a huge ground offensive.

From BBC

Israel has warned all residents of Gaza City to leave immediately in anticipation of a huge ground offensive.

From BBC

But the delight is in the theorizing, in the layering of lore and anticipation.

From Salon

High on anticipation, I arrived at Davey Wayne’s and immediately downed a shot.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• apprehension 
• hope 
• joy 
• prospect