as in watchful
having or showing signs of eagerly awaiting something
couldn't control his anticipatory excitement on Christmas morning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anticipatory
And also the anticipatory obedience by a lot of these news organizations who are more timid.
—
Michael Schneider, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Rodriguez is a smart, anticipatory playmaker whose best trait is seeing the game a beat ahead of everyone else.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
But research by Mark Wetherell, a professor of psychobiology and health psychology, has shown that the mere expectation of social evaluation produces anticipatory stress reactivity — meaning the body begins responding before the evaluative event even occurs.
—Amy Cuddy, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Room counts are low, anticipatory service is high, and above all else, each is set in a remarkable location and designed in a way that highlights its surroundings.
—Jake Emen, Robb Report, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anticipatory
Michael Schneider, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Rodriguez is a smart, anticipatory playmaker whose best trait is seeing the game a beat ahead of everyone else.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
But research by Mark Wetherell, a professor of psychobiology and health psychology, has shown that the mere expectation of social evaluation produces anticipatory stress reactivity — meaning the body begins responding before the evaluative event even occurs.
—Amy Cuddy, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Room counts are low, anticipatory service is high, and above all else, each is set in a remarkable location and designed in a way that highlights its surroundings.
—Jake Emen, Robb Report, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anticipatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anticipatory
Adjective
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During construction, the Feins purchased the house next door and lived there, keeping a watchful eye on the work.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
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Viktor Arvidsson, who was knocked woozy and out of the lineup on a high hit from the Sabres’ Mattias Samuelsson in Game 4, was skating under the watchful eye of skating and skills coach John McLean at Warrior Ice Arena on Friday morning.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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The sea of red hats could’ve been a campaign ad; a fleet of expectant seniors on scooters waited to greet him.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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His tasteless and unfunny comment calling the president’s wife an expectant widow shows just how warped Kimmel has become.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Adjective
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Verdier says the increasing regulation in the car industry and the push to move away from fossil fuels are part of the reason why Ferrari is so enthusiastic about this project.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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Skaters ages 6-11 showed off their nose grinds, kickflips and wall rides to an enthusiastic early crowd.—
Tony Le Calvez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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Why the Sedins would be eager to take on this challenge, this greater level of responsibility and legacy-threatening scrutiny that will come attached to it, at this low point in franchise history, is beyond me.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
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The period setting demands a degree of authenticity that Dhont was eager to execute.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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In Louisiana, nearly 180,000 early ballots for House races already cast won’t be counted under the redrawn districts, leaving voters like Sallie Davis anxious their votes won’t be tallied.—
John Hanna,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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Viral genetics Researchers around the globe are also anxious to get the genomic data of the ANDV virus.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anticipatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anticipatory. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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