element of surprise

noun phrase

: the unexpected or surprising character of something

The attackers were relying on the element of surprise.

Examples of element of surprise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The tariffs planned by President Donald Trump on Friday touched off a feverish bout of activity among trade partners as key details remained unclear and nations didn’t know the taxes their goods could face — keeping an element of surprise to an event long hyped by the U.S. leader. —Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 31 July 2025

This is a festival about three things: Quality, entertainment and the element of surprise. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 June 2025

Similar to omakase, kaiseki is a traditional Japanese meal that allows the chef to lead the experience, building a sense of trust between the diner and the kitchen, plus an element of surprise as each artful course is created in front of guests. —Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

Peg it to a major studio’s marketing wisdom that no campaign should ever repeat a trick, rather provide an element of surprise. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 July 2025

Rhymes for element of surprise

• operationalize
• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize