surprised 1 of 2

adjective

variants also surprized
Definition of surprisednext
as in startled

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surprised

2 of 2

verb

variants also surprized
past tense of surprise
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

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 surprised
Adjective
So, as that hike grows in likelihood, don't be surprised to see rate offers move up, too. — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 Mould is perhaps the most surprised by Sugar’s enduring impact. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
Another chart that Follows showed on Thursday that may not have surprised the crowd but was still not happy news focused on the percentage of indie films that generate a profit. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026 Jordan also surprised Story with a bracelet and necklace adorned with her birthstone. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surprised
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surprised
  1. startled
  2. amazed
  3. ambushed
  4. awed
  5. shocked
  6. attacked
  7. bewildered
  8. stunned
Adjective
  • Even general manager Jonah Kaplan is a little startled by the café’s increasing popularity.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
  • As a Flamengo defender attempted to pass the ball to a teammate, the blue-and-yellow bird dove straight toward him, sending the startled teen crashing to the ground in a panic.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of startled
Verb
  • Just before halftime, van Persie slipped past the Spanish defensive line to receive a long-range pass from teammate Daley Blind and looped the ball over Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas with a first-time diving header that amazed the audience.
    — Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026
  • When Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the telephone at America’s Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, the invention amazed the crowd.
    — David H. Hsu, Fortune, 11 May 2026
Definition of amazed
Verb
  • On the day Tran was ambushed, the vehicle circled the area 16 times before the shooting, according to investigators.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Tae-ha, who is in Japan on business for Sang-gil, is ambushed by a bunch of men.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambushed
Adjective
  • Maxwell, a fiction editor at The New Yorker, drew upon his own awed discovery of France in 1948; the novel’s opening paragraphs show one of the protagonists weeping at the sight of the French shore.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
  • But credit Neill for both understanding the assignment and not quite settling for those awed stares of Spielbergian wonder.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of awed
Verb
  • While the devices are marketed as nonlethal and safe for the heart, a pending lawsuit alleges a 43-year-old man died in 2024 after he was shocked 27 times with the gloves and 13 more times by a Taser at a jail in Richmond, Kentucky.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • In fact, so political has Tafoya gotten in her hometown of Edina, an upscale Twin Cities suburb, that many people were shocked the 61-year-old didn’t take a run at public office earlier.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of shocked
Verb
  • Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Israel attacked the country in February.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Yemen’s Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi shipping last month, attacked Saudi oil tankers this week, and are threatening to impose tolls, adding urgency to securing the waterway.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacked
Adjective
  • One bewildered South African man said protesters had burst into his home and stolen the lunch from his plate.
    — Julie Bourdin, Christian Science Monitor, 28 July 2026
  • In a little corner of my mind, however, history will always mean the tragic smashing of individual lives by its cruel hands and the scattering of bewildered people reeling from its blows.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 July 2026
Definition of bewildered
Verb
  • He was surrounded by family, twelve sets of hands holding his lifeless body, sending him onward with heartache and love and stunned disbelief.
    — Dr. Lucy McBride, Time, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Around them stood reminders of the 33-year-old woman whose death in a shooting last weekend stunned people across Kansas City.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of stunned

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Cite this Entry

“Surprised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surprised. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of surprised for Spanish Speakers

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