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 profile of the pedant has changed surprisingly across time periods and cultures, but what’s constant is that nobody wants to be called one. —The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026

While the film industry loves nothing more than to recycle ideas until everything is twinning, surprisingly, there hasn't been a greater demand for movies centred around a space prison. —Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026

Not surprisingly, Red Sox ownership elected to cover up their own malfeasance Saturday by firing manager Alex Cora and his coaches a after a 17-1 victory over the Orioles! —Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026

Now, in last place in the AL East to start this season, Boston is making wholesale changes after a surprisingly bad start. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 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