- present participle of surprise.
surprising
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
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.
Appeared in the April 30, 2026, print edition as 'Short Squeeze on Avis Takes Surprising Turn'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Surprising as these results may be, Deluard said they make sense.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026
Surprising as its source may be, there is undeniable beauty in the revived Santa Cruz.
From Slate • May 26, 2025
“You’ve hit the nail on the head there,” says Mary-Frances O’Connor, grief researcher and author of the book “The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn From Love and Loss.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2025
Surprising to me, too, was how well he knew Chicago.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
