anticipatory
adjective
an·tic·i·pa·to·ry
| \ an-ˈti-sə-pə-ˌtȯr-ē
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Definition of anticipatory
: characterized by anticipation : anticipating
took anticipatory measures to prevent floods
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Examples of anticipatory in a Sentence
couldn't control his anticipatory excitement on Christmas morning
Recent Examples on the Web
Children experience debilitating fear, anxiety, and depression around anticipatory terror. — Diana Bray, The Denver Post, "Diana Bray: We must deal with the trauma of these mass shootings, too," 4 Sep. 2019 Just make sure not to spend this anticipatory time ruminating on the many ways things can wrong, cautions Dr. DeMaria. — Madeleine Burry, Good Housekeeping, "7 Self-Help Strategies For When You're Overwhelmed, According to Psychologists," 29 Aug. 2019 This law was, like many bad laws in American history, an act of anticipatory war fever—the government at the time was preparing for a potential war with France. — Jacob Bacharach, The New Republic, "Who Gets to Speak Freely?," 21 Aug. 2019 Throughout the city Monday, the feeling is electric, nervous, anticipatory. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "On the brink: is Game 5 the biggest game in Warriors history?," 10 June 2019 Which, in addition to the salubriousness of all that sea and salt, promised an unusually high (in fact, daily) dose of what for me is another major mood elevator: the anticipatory frisson of arriving someplace new. — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "This Silversea Muse Cruise is a Mediterranean Dream Odyssey," 19 Mar. 2019 But thanks to anticipatory actions taken by the world’s leading producers, including the U.S., to make up the difference, there should be minimal effect on global energy markets. — Rick Perry, WSJ, "The World Can Live Without Iranian Oil," 4 Nov. 2018 And when Denmark ran up the white flag for real, passing between its center backs for a full 30 seconds in the 85th minute, the boos and whistles were louder than the anticipatory cheers for the anthems two hours earlier. — Andrew Das, New York Times, "France and Denmark Advance After World Cup’s First 0-0 Draw," 27 June 2018 The home printing setup at Arnold’s house was clearly an anticipatory move on his (sorry, Ford’s) part, which comes in handy considering those five marbles smuggled out in Ms. Dolores Hale’s purse — who might be they? — William Lee, chicagotribune.com, "‘Westworld’ Episode 10 recap: 5 things to know about ‘The Passenger’ and Season 2's finale," 24 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anticipatory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for anticipatory
anticipatory
adjective
an·tic·i·pa·tory
| \ an-ˈti-sə-pə-ˌtōr-ē
\
\
Legal Definition of anticipatory
: of or relating to a prior action that takes into account or forestalls a later action
an anticipatory challenge brought for declaratory and injunctive relief— L. H. Tribe
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