expected

/ɪkˈspektɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪkˈspektɪd/ (ame, ipa)

expected — adjective

  • expectedpositive
  • more expectedcomparative
  • most expectedsuperlative

1. Something that people think will take place, turn up, or be the case — like a bu

1.形容詞B1
釋義

Something that people think will take place, turn up, or be the case — like a bus showing up on time or an athlete reaching the championship round.

例句

The expected rain finally arrived, so the farmers in Yan's village stopped worrying.

expected + noun (expected rain) attributive use

Rohan's expected promotion was announced at the Monday meeting.

同義詞
  • anticipated

    Adds a feeling of eager preparation or excitement — 'anticipated' is more personal than neutral 'expected'.

  • predicted

    Sounds more technical or data-driven, as from a forecast or model.

  • foreseen

    Suggests someone had specific prior knowledge of what would happen.

反義詞
  • unexpected

    The direct opposite — something that surprises because people did not think it would happen.

  • surprising

    Describes the emotional reaction when something happens that was not expected.

文法句型

expected + noun (attributive)

be + expected (predicative)

expected + to-infinitive clause

用法筆記

This is the most frequent sense of 'expected'. It works in both attributive ('the expected result') and predicative ('the result is expected') positions. The adjective is commonly followed by an infinitive clause: 'The train is expected to arrive at 6 p.m.'

常見錯誤

❌The expected rain arrived as predicting.
✅The expected rain arrived as predicted.
💡'Expected' itself is an adjective; use 'as predicted' or 'as expected' for the adverbial comparison.
❌It was very expected that she would win.
✅It was widely expected that she would win.
💡Use 'widely', 'fully', or 'generally' with 'expected', not 'very'.

2. Relating to a baby that has not yet been born but whose arrival is known about —

2.形容詞B1
釋義

Relating to a baby that has not yet been born but whose arrival is known about — for example when parents have announced a pregnancy and people refer to the expected child.

例句

Sofia took a prenatal class to prepare for her expected baby.

expected + baby (attributive, only before nouns)

The midwife checked the position of the expected baby using an ultrasound.

同義詞
  • anticipated

    In a pregnancy context, 'anticipated' sounds warmer and more emotional than 'expected'.

文法句型

expected + baby / child / grandchild

用法筆記

This sense is restricted to attributive position — it must appear directly before the noun (expected baby, expected child). It only describes human babies, not animals or objects. The related verb phrase 'be expecting (a baby)' is more common in everyday speech; 'expected baby' sounds slightly more formal or medical.

常見錯誤

❌She has an expected cat at home.
✅She has a cat that is expecting kittens.
💡'Expected' in this sense only describes human babies, not animal offspring.

3. Considered necessary, proper, or socially called for in a given situation — like

3.形容詞B1
釋義

Considered necessary, proper, or socially called for in a given situation — like the level of politeness people think a child should show or the standard of quality a customer has a right to receive.

例句

Polite table manners are the expected behaviour at Emre's family dinners.

expected + behaviour / standard (attributive sense, social norm)

The intern's final report did not meet the expected quality level.

同義詞
  • required

    Stronger — implies a rule or obligation rather than a social norm.

  • proper

    Focuses on correctness and appropriateness of behaviour.

  • standard

    Used as an adjective to describe a normal, accepted level.

反義詞
  • inappropriate

    Behaviour that does not fit what is socially called for.

文法句型

expected + noun (attributive)

be + expected (predicative)

expected + of + noun (it is expected of someone)

用法筆記

This sense overlaps with sense 1 when the predicted outcome is also a social requirement. The distinction is testable: if you could replace 'expected' with 'required' or 'proper' without changing the meaning, this is sense 3. If the focus is simply on likelihood, it is sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌The expected pay for this job is £15 an hour.' (ambiguous)
✅The expected pay for this job is £15 an hour.
💡This sentence can mean sense 1 (predicted pay) or sense 3 (required/promised pay). Add context to clarify which you mean.