expected not well

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "expected not well" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It seems to be an attempt to express disappointment or a lack of expectation regarding an outcome, but it is not a standard expression. Example: "The results of the project were expected not well, leading to further investigation."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

When asked how his daughter was doing, Mr. McAllister said, "As expected, not well," adding that "she's got a lot of friends, family, a big help to us".

The New York Times

Downscaled 30-m grids of PRISM monthly maximum temperatures at 2 m above the ground surface were, as expected, not well correlated with, and systematically cooler than, recorded maximum temperatures at 0.05 m height (R2 = 0.61, Table 3).

Ecological Processes

This reality, which is very common in Israel but much less so in the rest of the western world is, as would be expected, not well reported in the literature.

Critical Care

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Calhoun took this as one might expect (not well).

The New York Times - Sports

Still, the local search used in the original BM3D filter is expected not to be well suited for most electron microscopy images of crystals.

Advanced Structural and Chemical Imaging

But New Hampshire marks the first win for Sanders and for Trump, candidates who were initially expected not to perform well in a presidential race, much less make it this far.

Vice

The spatial pattern of flower morphogenesis is widely conserved among the <img src="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/asset?id=info?doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0013523.e001.PNG" class= inline-graphic"/> flowering plant species and thus a robust and generic underlying mechanism is expected, but not well understood up to now.

Plosone

Thomasson, who has £24,000 in debts, expects not to be as well off as friends who didn't go to university when she lands a job.

The Guardian - Business

As expected, the VET was not well known to participants, many of whom said that they came to know about this test 'only after reading the information pack and visiting the official website of the VET' (Participant 9).

Language Testing in Asia

He expected, well, not riches exactly, but a damn site more than the nothing he's received.

Vice

There weren't too many (any?) Japanese games released exclusively for the system this year, so it probably wasn't expecting… well, not monster sales, but respectable sales.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "expected not well" in formal writing. Opt for clearer and more grammatically correct alternatives like "anticipated poorly" or "did not expect a positive outcome".

Common error

Don't assume "expected not well" is a valid idiomatic expression. It can lead to miscommunication. Instead, restructure your sentence to clearly convey the intended meaning using standard English grammar.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "expected not well" functions as a descriptor indicating a negative anticipation or outcome. Ludwig AI flags it as incorrect, suggesting it deviates from standard grammatical structure. The examples in Ludwig show it attempting to modify a situation or result.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

67%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "expected not well" appears in some sources, it is grammatically questionable and not considered standard English. Ludwig AI identifies it as incorrect. The phrase attempts to convey a negative anticipation but is best replaced with clearer alternatives such as "anticipated poorly" or "did not expect a positive outcome". It is advisable to avoid using "expected not well" in formal or professional contexts. The phrase appears more frequently in Scientific contexts, although it is rare across all domains. Therefore, writers should prioritize grammatical correctness and clarity over using this awkward phrasing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

anticipated poorly

Replaces "expected not well" with a more concise and grammatically sound alternative, focusing on the negative anticipation.

foreseen negatively

Emphasizes the negative aspect of the expectation, using a more formal tone than "expected not well".

did not anticipate success

Directly states the lack of anticipation for a successful outcome.

outcomes were underwhelming

Shifts the focus from expectation to the disappointing results themselves.

performance fell short of expectations

Indicates that the actual performance did not meet the initial hopes or predictions.

results were disappointing

A general statement about the unsatisfactory nature of the results, without explicitly mentioning prior expectations.

failed to live up to expectations

Highlights the failure to meet pre-existing standards or hopes.

did not go as planned

Focuses on the deviation from the intended course, implying a negative outcome.

the prognosis was bleak

Uses a more formal and somber tone to describe a negative forecast.

the future looked grim

Emphasizes a pessimistic outlook on future events or outcomes.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "expected not well" to sound more professional?

Consider using alternatives like "anticipated poorly", "did not expect positive results", or "results were worse than expected" for a more polished tone.

Is "expected not well" grammatically correct?

No, "expected not well" is not grammatically correct in standard English. It's better to use clearer and more conventional phrasing.

What's a more common way to express a lack of positive expectation?

Common alternatives include "did not expect to succeed", "anticipated failure", or "had low expectations".

When is it acceptable to use the phrase "expected not well"?

While you might encounter "expected not well" in some contexts, it's generally advisable to avoid it in formal writing and speech due to its awkwardness and lack of grammatical correctness. There are usually better alternatives available.