surprisingly
Americanadverb
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in a way that causes a feeling of wonder or astonishment.
The artist creates works that are both approachable and surprisingly sophisticated.
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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
Etymology
Origin of surprisingly
Explanation
When something happens in a way that amazes you, use the adverb surprisingly, like when you find the kids at your new school to be surprisingly friendly. If a situation is surprising, it is completely unexpected — and you can say that it happens surprisingly. You might discover that the day is surprisingly warm, and you don't need your furry hat after all; or you may realize that college is surprisingly difficult after you breezed through high school. The French root word is surprise, "a taking unawares," which comes from surprendre, "to overtake." Surprisingly is surprisingly old, dating from the 1600's.
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.
The genetic evidence revealed that close biological relatives were surprisingly uncommon among people placed in the same grave.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
In the morning, a normally unremarkable survey on business activity gave the market a jolt, pointing to surprisingly resilient growth and ongoing inflationary pressures in the economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The court ruling from Judge Robert Brown said that hired legal representation from the council was "surprisingly combative" and found parts of the legal representation for the council "totally irrelevant" and "most unhelpful".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
But there’s surprisingly little evidence that data centers have broadly driven residential electricity inflation so far.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Bulgu is quick, though, and surprisingly light on his feet.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
