Expecting and anticipating

[CatWithKittens]

Is anybody else annoyed by the use of anticipate when the speaker or writer means expect?

[LordGodAlmighty]

Yes, I am. But I suspect that it is only die hard pedants such as you find in this here little nook that actually understand the difference now.
A bit like momentarily.
And indifferent.
And refute.

[Janni]

Well I wasn't, but am quite willing to be extremely annoyed about it if you provide a suitable example

[fryalot]

Oh, I definitely concur with Janni. I also am prepared to be extremely annoyed when provided with an example of why the anticipated expectation was annoying

(I think)

[CatWithKittens]

Example: Politician, quite unusually honest for the breed, says ?I did not anticipate that problem? when it is quite clear that it had not been even been considered as a possible problem, let alone expected and certainly had not been anticipated by putting in place measures to prevent it arising. (Sorry ,my computer system seems to turn quotation marks into question marks: hence absence of proper punctuation.)

[barnstaple]

Yeah, I refute the allegation that I'm being unreasonable....

Drives me nuts.

[Janni]

Doesn't 'anticipate' add an element of excitement to the expectation?

This is totally inappropriate in the context of an unexpected problem requiring political action and I am now EXTREMELY ANNOYED about it.

[branflake81]

OK...what's wrong with refute? I always thought it meant either deny or prove to the contrary - can you not then refute an allegation?

[LordGodAlmighty]

You rebut an allegation if you are denying it, you only refute it if you are disproving it.

[PortAndLemon]

Technically speaking, doesn't rebuttal imply the presentation of evidence rather than just a denial?

[LordGodAlmighty]

You are quite correct PortandLemon. I misspoke.