anticipation

IPA/ænˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃn/
KK[æntˌɪsəpˈeʃən]IPA/ænˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃn/

anticipation — noun

1. the pleasant feeling you get when you are waiting for something good or importan

1.名詞B1
釋義

the pleasant feeling you get when you are waiting for something good or important to happen, such as a holiday, a result, or a visit from someone you care about

例句

The children jumped out of bed on Christmas morning, their faces full of happy anticipation.

collocation: full of anticipation

Antonio felt growing anticipation as the train pulled into the station to meet his family.

同義詞
  • expectation

    more neutral — expectation can refer to something bad or neutral; anticipation is usually positive and emotionally charged

  • excitement

    more general and active — excitement can happen during an event, whereas anticipation specifically involves waiting before it

  • hope

    focuses on the wish for something to happen rather than the feeling of waiting for something believed to be coming

反義詞
  • dread

    the feeling of waiting for something unpleasant rather than something good

文法句型

anticipation of [something]

in anticipation of [something]

用法筆記

Often used with adjectives such as 'eager', 'excited', 'breathless', or 'happy' to describe the intensity of the feeling. Also common in the fixed phrase 'in anticipation of' even for this emotional sense — for example, 'flowers bought in anticipation of a lover's visit'.

常見錯誤

❌I have anticipation to go to the party.
✅I am full of anticipation about going to the party.
💡'Anticipation' is uncountable and is not used with 'have' + infinitive.
❌I feel anticipation for the concert.
✅I feel a sense of anticipation before the concert.
💡Use 'a sense of anticipation' or 'in anticipation of', not 'anticipation for'.

2. the process of taking action before an expected event occurs, so that you are al

2.名詞B2
釋義

the process of taking action before an expected event occurs, so that you are already prepared when it arrives

例句

The town raised the river walls in anticipation of severe flooding during the rainy season.

pattern: in anticipation of [event]

Ana stocked the pantry with extra food in anticipation of the week-long power cut.

同義詞
  • preparedness

    a state of being ready, without the forward-looking action that 'anticipation' implies

  • foresight

    the ability to predict and plan, whereas anticipation is the specific action taken based on that ability

文法句型

in anticipation of [event/noun]

in anticipation that [clause]

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the fixed syntactic patterns 'in anticipation of [noun]' or 'in anticipation that [clause]'. Common in formal, business, planning, and emergency-preparedness contexts. The emotional excitement of sense 1 is absent here — the focus is purely on practical readiness.

常見錯誤

❌We built extra rooms for anticipation of guests.
✅We built extra rooms in anticipation of guests.
💡The preposition 'in' must come before 'anticipation' in this sense.