surprisingly

[ser-prahy-zing-lee, suh-]

adverb

1. in a way that causes a feeling of wonder or astonishment.

   The artist creates works that are both approachable and surprisingly sophisticated.

2. in a way that is seen as unlikely or unexpected.

   Despite its geographic isolation and small population, Reykjavik is surprisingly cosmopolitan.

   The phone has an impressive array of features, and yet is surprisingly affordable.

Other Word Forms

• unsurprisingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of surprisingly¹

surprising ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Their styles prove surprisingly complementary in this thoughtful and character-rich police procedural.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Though the outcomes encoded here are colored by midcentury manners, they are surprisingly daring and averse to sedate moralism.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Developed by Mark Morkovin in the mid 20th century, the hypothesis proposes that when air moves around Mach 5 or Mach 6, the fundamental nature of turbulence remains surprisingly similar to turbulence at lower speeds.

Read more on Science Daily

Their set list spans their catalog but leans surprisingly on “Horn of Plenty,” those loose, bedroom-born sketches that predated any sense of grandeur.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The S&P people were cagey, but the woman from Moody’s was surprisingly frank.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• absolutely 
• awfully 
• certainly 
• decidedly 
• deeply 
• eminently 
• exceedingly 
• excessively 
• extraordinarily www.thesaurus.com
• extremely 
• greatly 
• highly 
• incredibly 
• noticeably www.thesaurus.com
• particularly 
• pretty 
• profoundly 
• remarkably 
• terribly 
• truly