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
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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.
It is therefore not surprising that he informed Geffroy he wouldn’t be leaving Giverny when World War I broke out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The story takes a surprising, bittersweet turn, and Ms. Hepola realizes she’s in a contest she can’t win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
After a surprising emergence from a brutal top-two primary in June, and with Republican Steve Hilton placing second, Becerra sailed to election as Newsom’s successor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
To outsiders, this can be surprising because he is charm personified with the media, a delight to deal with.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
“It’s surprising what you do when endangered. Though injured, we climbed,” said Venus.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
