surprised

1 of 2

adjective

sur·​prised sər-ˈprīzd 

sə-

: feeling or showing surprise because of something unexpected

was very surprised to see her there

was too surprised to speak

a surprised expression

surprised

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of surprise entry 2

Examples of surprised in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Melick and students were surprised to learn about Strother’s story. — Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

So people are often surprised to hear about specialists like us who work in pediatric palliative care, helping children facing serious illness who may be nearing the end of their lives. — Emilee Flynn, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2026

Helen and Bob were surprised when Andrew decided to go into the military. — Ron Farina, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Gillies was surprised to learn in researching the docu that the programmers came up with a rating system for calculating the relative weight of insults. — Will Tizard, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1882, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for surprised

• advertised
• agonized
• amortized
• analysed
• analyzed
• anglicised
• anglicized
• anodized
• atomized
• authorised
• authorized
• brutalized