Literary notes about Expectant (AI summary)
In literature, the term "expectant" is used to evoke a state of poised anticipation—whether signaling inner emotional tension or the collective readiness of a crowd. It can illustrate a character’s blend of hope and wariness, as when a grateful look conceals a deeper, searching anticipation ([1]), or when an individual’s intense countenance underscores an inner demand for the forthcoming unknown ([2], [3]). Equally, "expectant" describes assemblies brimming with silent eagerness, capturing both the anxious wait before a speech ([4]) and the overall charged mood of a gathering ([5], [6]). Through such applications, the word enriches narratives by highlighting the tension between present stillness and the imminence of change.
- He gave her a grateful look, but was still expectant and looking for someone.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - what is this that shoots through me, and leaves me so deadly calm, yet expectant,—fixed at the top of a shudder!
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - His face was eager and expectant—it expressed nothing but the most intense anxiety to hear her next words.
— from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - Winston wanted to say more, but an expectant crowd was waiting.
— from The Vision of Elijah Berl by Frank Lewis Nason - We were all needlessly hurried, all nervously expectant of the morrow.
— from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - To-day, in the open space stretching between this building and the nearest college, stood a crowd of expectant people.
— from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
