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

At a campaign stop Tuesday night in Calhoun, the billionaire nominee was surprisingly candid about his party’s struggles. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 22 Oct. 2026

The candidates in Kansas' surprisingly competitive Senate race faced off in a debate Wednesday evening, as Republicans fight to head off the possibility of their first loss in a Kansas Senate contest in nearly a century. — Riley Callanan, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

The dry sauna is also a must—and surprisingly big, given the hotel’s fairly intimate size. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026

Cam Skattebo was surprisingly punished for his fumbling issues, but there is precedence in John Harbaugh’s coaching history. — Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 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