variants
also surprized
as in startled
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variants
also surprized
1
as in amazed
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 ambushed
to lie in wait for and attack by surprise
FBI agents surprised the counterfeiters in their own base of operations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surprised
Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Benaddi was also surprised by the laughter in the room during the premiere.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 22 Feb. 2026
CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
The move surprised everyone, including prosecutors.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surprised
Adjective
These authors might be surprised to learn that their arguments are at least 100 years old, if not older.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Benaddi was also surprised by the laughter in the room during the premiere.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 22 Feb. 2026
Verb
She was shocked when Winfrey surprised her with the news at Random House Tower in New York City.
—CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
The move surprised everyone, including prosecutors.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surprised
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surprised
Adjective
-
Dwayne was startled when a scout approached him and referred to his son as an NBA prospect.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 Feb. 2026
-
If guests are startled — or, more likely, amused — at your father’s being tieless and wearing sneakers, that is his problem.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Melissa's rapid intensification and high winds and atypical hurricane behavior amazed even some of the more experienced scientists who study tropical cyclones, thanks in part to its journey over some exceptionally warm waters in the Caribbean.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
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What amazed me the most was the remains of what appeared to be a tall conifer — possibly a cypress or cedar — on Edgar Street in Pacific Palisades, where the Palisades fire ravaged an entire street.—
Jeanette Marantos,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In August, the Kansas City Royals ambushed him for eight runs.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Authorities said surveillance video in the area shows Dickinson and Thompson walking together just moments before Thompson was ambushed in the middle of the street.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Although, clearly, no one would be shocked if the Metallica ends up adding many more dates.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
In fact, they were deeply shocked by one particular article, which seemed to imply that microplastics being deep inside the very structure of human bones was a bad thing.—
Stephanie Redmond,
New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The ministry said settlers vandalized or attacked 45 mosques in the West Bank last year.—
AREF TUFAHA,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The violence captured on cellphone videos and shared around the globe – buses burning, gas stations attacked, military helicopters flying overhead – wasn’t just happening in remote rural towns long plagued by drug violence.—
Mary Beth Sheridan,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And the second-to-none acoustics, with 10,000 state-of-the-art fiber panels that project sound throughout the theater, will leave you awed.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
-
He was awed by how much Jackson had grown into his stature.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Nick was understandably stunned.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Among those at the groundbreaking was Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain, who was a student at Elgin High School when Larkin opened and remembers Elgin fans being stunned when Larkin beat EHS for the first time in the 1967 battle for the Little Brown Jug.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Olivier tried successfully to get the reader to understand how a gentle, pacific young man could come to kill more than a thousand people, and so capturing the tone and empathetic portrayal not only of Simo Häyhä and his colleagues but also of the often-bewildered Russian soldiers was essential.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The usually positive Gauff went negative, lacked energy and seemed bewildered and overwhelmed.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surprised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surprised. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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