Phrase guide

expected value

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • ĭk-spĕkt′ĭd văl′yo͞o
  • Received-Pronunciation, contemporary: /ɪkˈspɛkt.ɪd ˈval.juː/
  • /ɪkˈspɛkt.ɪd ˈvæl.juː/ Received Pronunciation, conservatism
  • Canada, General-American: /ɪkˈspɛkt.ɪd ˈvæl.ju/
  • Australian: /ɪkˈspekt.ɪd ˈvæl.jʉː/
  • New-Zealand: /əkˈspekt.əd ˈvɛl.jʉː/
  • Scotland: /ɪkˈspɛkt.ɪd ˈval.jʉ/
  • India: /ɪkˈspɛkʈ.ɪɖ ˈval.juː/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The weighted average of outcome values, using probability as the weighting function.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: mathematics, probability-theory, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: expectation, expectancy, expectation operator, mathematical expectation, mean, expectation value, first moment

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the sum of the values of a random variable divided by the number of values

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: arithmetic mean, first moment, expectation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mean, mean value

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: матема́тическо оча́кване (matemátičesko očákvane) — weighted average of outcomes
  • Chinese Mandarin: 期望值 (qīwàngzhí) — weighted average of outcomes
  • Czech: střední hodnota — weighted average of outcomes
  • Danish: forventningsværdi — weighted average of outcomes
  • Dutch: verwachtingswaarde — weighted average of outcomes
  • Finnish: odotusarvo — weighted average of outcomes
  • French: espérance mathématique — weighted average of outcomes
  • French: espérance — weighted average of outcomes
  • German: Erwartungswert — weighted average of outcomes
  • Hebrew: תּוֹחֶלֶת (tokhélet) — weighted average of outcomes
  • Icelandic: væntanlegt gildi — weighted average of outcomes
  • Icelandic: væntigildi — weighted average of outcomes
  • Icelandic: meðalgildi — weighted average of outcomes
  • Italian: valore atteso — weighted average of outcomes
  • Mongolian: математик дундаж (matematik dundaž) — weighted average of outcomes
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forventningsverdi — weighted average of outcomes
  • Polish: wartość oczekiwana — weighted average of outcomes
  • Russian: математи́ческое ожида́ние (matematíčeskoje ožidánije) — weighted average of outcomes
  • Spanish: esperanza matemática — weighted average of outcomes
  • Spanish: esperanza — weighted average of outcomes
  • Spanish: valor esperado — weighted average of outcomes
  • Swedish: väntevärde — weighted average of outcomes