surprising

[ser-prahy-zing, suh-]

adjective

1. causing surprise, wonder, or astonishment.

2. unexpected.

surprising

/ səˈpraɪzɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing surprise; unexpected or amazing

Other Word Forms

• surprisingly adverb
• unsurprising adjective
• surprisingness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of surprising¹

First recorded in 1570–80; surprise + -ing ²

Example Sentences

By analyzing its new model, the team came to surprising conclusions that could prove useful for robot design, artificial intelligence, and for better understanding of human memory.

Read more on Science Daily

He said the drop in membership was surprising given the Lib Dems' electoral success, which would suggest "a party on the up, in which case you might get more ambitious people wanting to join it".

Read more on BBC

It was hardly surprising: the village was small and sleepy at the best of times, and for anyone still under retirement age, looking for work meant moving elsewhere.

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Freeman followed with a hit off the end of his bat into the right-field corner, a single he turned into a double when he refused to stop at first, surprising outfielder Nick Castellanos.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s not surprising that robot demos seldom show humans interacting closely with walking robots.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amazing 
• astonishing 
• extraordinary 
• remarkable 
• shocking 
• startling 
• stunning 
• sudden 
• unanticipated 
• unforeseen 
• unpredictable 
• wonderful