Expectant means waiting for something specific to happen, usually something good or important. When you're expectant, you're actively anticipating, watching, and ready for what's coming next, rather than simply waiting passively.

On the morning of your birthday, you might wake up feeling expectant, knowing presents and celebrations are ahead. When a teacher says “I have an announcement,” the whole class turns with expectant faces, curious about what comes next. That feeling of leaning forward, paying close attention, ready for something to arrive: that's being expectant.

The word suggests a mixture of hope and certainty. You genuinely believe something will happen, not merely wishing it might. A farmer planting seeds is expectant of a harvest. An athlete training hard is expectant of improvement. Scientists running an experiment are expectant of results.

You'll often hear the phrase “expectant mother” to describe a woman who is pregnant and waiting for her baby to be born. This captures both meanings: she's waiting for something important, and she's preparing for what's to come. That same sense of hopeful, active waiting applies whenever someone is truly expectant: they're expecting, and that expectation shapes how they feel and act right now.