surprisingly

adverb

sur·​pris·​ing·​ly sər-ˈprī-ziŋ-lē 

sə-

1

: in a surprising manner : to a surprising degree

a surprisingly fast runner

2

: it is surprising that

surprisingly, voter turnout was high

Examples of surprisingly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 5-inch touch screen walks through networking, calibration, self-check routines, and bed leveling step by step, making the initial startup surprisingly painless considering the machine’s size. — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026

Ask teachers what matters most, and their answers have surprisingly little to do with shopping. — Adrienne Farr, Parents, 15 Aug. 2026

Even still, the filmmaker is excited to let Edinburgh audiences begin probing this surprisingly affecting piece on loss and extraterrestrial life. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026

The new study suggests that water and dust can form and survive surprisingly close to a supermassive black hole, where intense radiation and other harsh conditions might otherwise be expected to destroy them. — Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for surprisingly

• tantalizingly
• unsurprisingly
• uncompromisingly

Kids Definition

surprisingly

adverb

sur·​pris·​ing·​ly -lē 

1

: in a surprising manner : to a surprising degree

a surprisingly fast runner

2

: it is surprising that

surprisingly, no one disagreed