surprising
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of surprising
Explanation
Surprising things are completely unexpected—they astonish or startle you. It would be surprising for most of us to get a phone call from the Queen of England. Unless you suspected your friend was planning something, the surprise party she throws for your birthday will be surprising. Things that are surprising take you aback or even confuse you a little bit. The adjective surprising comes from surprise, via the Old French sorprendre, "to overtake or seize." The original meaning of surprise party was a stealth military action.
Vocabulary lists containing surprising
Amazing
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So it wasn't surprising that Jung found ready allies in the community who had also noticed the ginkgo's withering leaves.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
"That would indeed be surprising, and, in addition to other theories, it could point to the existence of a fifth force," as Soter outlines.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
More surprising: He spent a year studying for and taking the Medical College Admission Test.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
He is back solely pitching from the bullpen, and could be a key piece for the Rays in their surprising surge to the division title.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
This awareness of a “connection to the world” has perhaps been the most surprising outcome of the first discovery and excavation of a slave-carrying vessel.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
