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🤰 Pregnant ⏳ Eagerly waiting
expectant

expectant

12 3.8
A woman who will have a baby soon
  • adjective
  • /ɪkˈspɛktənt/
translation icon : embarazada
  • I have the opportunity to work directly with expectant mothers, specifically those whose babies are diagnosed with CDH.
  • an expectant mother
  • an expectant woman

That gives extra weight to hope on these expectant mothers more than the expected father's side.

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Examples

  • I work as a life coach specialized in expectant and new moms.

    Blog text (25)

  • The study team began recruiting in waiting rooms and addressed groups of expectant mothers during "five-minute" periods between information and examination sessions.

    Academic text (2005)

  • We wanted to start a change in the system to have wider possibilities for expectant parents.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • We all have the goal to dramatically improve the health of children and expectant mothers around the world.

    Stanford

  • Do you have in LA the signs that it says this spot is reserved for expectant mothers?

    I've Had It

  • Schools and hospitals must educate expectant mothers about the effects of drug use on unborn children.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Necessity prompted the expectant mother to continue farming the area in her husband's stead.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Food safety is especially important in DCCs because they usually represent two susceptible populations: the very young and expectant mothers.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Convalescent homes developed in the late nineteenth century and were usually for short-term care or for expectant and nursing mothers.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The expectant mother decorated the nursery in preparation for her baby's arrival.

Synonyms

pregnant
vsexpectant
∞ 1.0

Having a baby or a young animal growing inside the belly

is specific to late stage and imminent birth rather than any carrying stage
with child
vsexpectant
  • Archaic
26 6.0

Carrying a baby before birth

is used when the birth is near rather than any stage of carrying young
gravid
vsexpectant
  • Specialized
1 9.3

Carrying eggs or young inside the body, usually late in pregnancy

is limited to human females close to birth rather than animal egg carrying
great with child
vsexpectant
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A woman who is near the time to have a baby

is modern neutral wording for being near birth rather than archaic heavy state
enceinte
vsexpectant
  • Formal
9.9

A woman who is pregnant and close to giving birth

is used for women soon to give birth rather than any stage

How Advanced

birthing
34 3.3
full term
4 3.3
expectant
12 3.8
pregnant
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

expectant positive

Morphology

expectant = expect (transparent) = expect + ant

The sense 'pregnant' (as in 'expectant mother') derives from 'expect' in the sense 'expecting a child' plus the adjectival '-ant', which is a predictable, inferable extension in this collocation.

Etymology

Expectant also means 'pregnant' because a woman is 'expecting' a baby and is waiting for the child to arrive, which keeps the original idea of 'looking out' from ex- 'out' and spectare 'to look'.