Expect vs. Anticipate

What is the difference between 'expect' and 'anticipate'?

Both 'expect' and 'anticipate' mean to think or believe that something will happen and be prepared for it. However, 'anticipate' typically involves a sense of waiting or looking forward for the event, while 'expect' indicates a more objective perspective. This lesson will discuss this difference in meaning as well as the grammatical difference between these two verbs.

Objective vs. Subjective Belief

'Expect' generally implies a higher degree of certainty and a more objective viewpoint. When you expect something, you have a strong belief or assumption that it will happen based on logical reasoning, past experiences, or established patterns. 'Anticipate', on the other hand, conveys a more subjective and proactive state of mind, where you are mentally preparing or looking forward to something happening. Anticipation can be driven by hopes, desires, or a sense of eager expectation. Here are some examples:

Example

I expect to receive a response to my email by the end of the day.

She expects the restaurant to be crowded during lunch hours.

They are eagerly anticipating the release of the new movie.

She anticipates receiving good news about her job application.

Grammatical Difference

Both 'expect' and 'anticipate' can be followed by a noun phrase and a 'that- clause'. However, 'expect' can also be followed by a 'to- infinitive' clause or a noun phrase plus a 'to- infinitive' clause while 'anticipate' cannot be followed by 'to- infinitives' but is commonly followed by a present participle clause.

Example

She anticipates a difficult conversation with her boss about a raise.

'anticipate' with a noun phrase as its object

I anticipate that the project will be completed ahead of schedule.

'anticipate' with a 'that- clause' as its object

He anticipates traveling to Europe next year.

'anticipate' with a present participle clause

They expect his arrival at 6 p.m.

'expect' with a noun phrase as its object

They expect that he will arrive at 6 p.m.

'expect' with a that- clause

He expects to arrive at 6 p.m.

'expect' with a to-infinitive clause

Comments

(2)

lee

Dec 2024

Thank You!

paula 2016

Feb 2024

I think that the first sentence blurs the difference between the two words. Here's an excerpt from the AMA style notes: In any case, if anticipate suggests the taking of some sort of action to prepare for an expected event, it seems clear that one should perhaps not use it when wishing to convey only simple expectation. Interestingly enough, even those who consider anticipate and expect synonyms do not extend the same acceptance to the synonymous use of unanticipated and unexpected.1 The misuse of anticipate in place of expect likely arose from the tendency common among writers and speakers to use larger words.5(pp22-23) It also is an example of what Garner terms “slipshod extension”5(pp22-23)—“the mistaken stretching of a word beyond its accepted meanings, the mistake lying in a misunderstanding of the true sense.”5(pp307-308) Garner further maintains that the use of anticipate in the sense of “to await eagerly” is also incorrect and points out that such use is also likely the result of slipshod extension.5(pp22-23). https://amastyleinsider.com/2012/07/24/anticipate-expect/

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Objective vs. Subjective Belief
Grammatical Difference

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