surprising 1 of 2

adjective

sər-ˈprī-ziŋ How to pronounce surprising (audio)
Definition of surprisingnext
1
as in startling
causing a strong emotional reaction because of unexpectedness the surprising news that they were going to have a baby had them rushing to buy nursery furniture

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in astonishing
causing wonder or astonishment it's surprising how much knowledge of physics the architects of those immense medieval cathedrals must have had

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

surprising

2 of 2

verb

variants also surprizing
present participle of surprise
1
as in amazing
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected I was very surprised when my parents offered to pay the down payment on our house

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in ambushing
to lie in wait for and attack by surprise FBI agents surprised the counterfeiters in their own base of operations

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of surprising
Adjective
What was most surprising to me was, the room was filled with a lot of his staffers, his cabinet, his allies, Republicans in Congress. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 He was sidelined all last year when the Panthers won the NFC South as one of the league’s most surprising teams. — Joseph Person, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Verb
Turns out, her body keeps surprising her. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 8 June 2026 The pair’s secret romance was already woven into Season 1, surprising those who’ve read the source material since Allie and Dean are the focus of the third book in the series. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for surprising
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surprising
  1. startling
  2. astonishing
  3. amazing
  4. ambushing
  5. shocking
  6. wonderful
  7. stunning
  8. attacking
Adjective
  • On Our Radar -Forbes billionaire and U30 alum Palmer Luckey is reportedly seeking to raise a fresh round of funding for his defense startup Anduril, which could value the company at a startling $100 billion.
    — Zoya Hasan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • That leaves a startling number of people outside the screening system.
    — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 31 July 2026
Definition of startling
Adjective
  • But the most extraordinary thing on the screen is Antonio Banderas, who delivers an astonishing, devastating performance as the proprietor of the restaurant where Bourdain finds work, and on whose porch Tony ends up sleeping for the summer.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
  • With the James Webb Space Telescope, next-generation ground observatories, and future missions on the horizon, these seven worlds are unlikely to remain the most astonishing for long.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of astonishing
Verb
  • In one camp Gao Sheng breaks a cultural norm by helping her father and uncles with a big project, amazing her relatives with her physical and mental strength.
    — Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
Definition of amazing
Verb
  • Prosecutors, meanwhile, have alleged that Mangione meticulously planned the killing for months, documenting his thoughts in journals and traveling across the country before ambushing Thompson in New York City.
    — Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
  • Lit up by minor-leaguers ambushing first-pitch fastballs?
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Definition of ambushing
Adjective
  • Randy Orton made a shocking return to WWE SummerSlam 2026, hitting an RKO on Cody Rhodes before CM Punk was able to capitalize with a fifth GTS.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • This may have seemed shocking to those who associated alien life primarily with science fiction invasion scenarios like The War of the Worlds.
    — Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 30 July 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • Start with the escargot, which pack a wonderful buttery, garlicky punch, each bite topped with a perfect, tiny puff pastry.
    — Connie Ogle July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • The combination of David’s wonderful scripts, Lenny back directing on the BBC, Element Pictures producing, and Claire and Mathew leading our cast is a real gift.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 July 2026
Definition of wonderful
Verb
  • Margaret deploys this power to find Daniel and to free him from Noah and the WARDEX minions—essentially, by stunning them emotionally.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 16 June 2026
Definition of stunning
Verb
  • Iran has bombarded several of its neighbors’ data centers, and the United States responded by attacking one of Iran’s.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
  • That’s in stark contrast to their arachnid cousins, spiders, whose females that tend to be violent, attacking and eating the males.
    — Christa Lesté-Lasserre, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacking

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Cite this Entry

“Surprising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surprising. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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