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
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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
variants
also surprized
as in dumfounded
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of surprised
Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 4 Sep. 2025
Sue threatens to call the police and an emotional Santana then shoves her backward into a bookshelf in the corner of her office before appearing slightly surprised at her own behavior and leaving.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
What surprised you during the shoot?
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surprised
Verb
Katie Wiseman Many Hoosiers were surprised last month to learn that armadillos can be spotted roaming around southern Indiana.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 4 Sep. 2025
Sue threatens to call the police and an emotional Santana then shoves her backward into a bookshelf in the corner of her office before appearing slightly surprised at her own behavior and leaving.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
What surprised many on Wall Street was how much Google appears to benefit indirectly from the rapid progress of its rivals.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
What surprised you during the shoot?
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surprised
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surprised
Verb
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The 90-yard dash along the right sideline one play after Ruvalcaba’s interception amazed his teammates.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
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Having an almost 80-year-old actor at the heart of the film and in almost every scene could be a huge undertaking, but Touzani says Maura’s vitality amazed her.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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De’Andre Johnson ambushed and choked the agent in a DCS office, livestreaming the attack on Facebook.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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The season will detail 10 different cases, including a Las Vegas journalist ambushed outside his residence, a body dumped in a NYC tunnel, and a mission to discover the identity of a victim found in the East River.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The audience was shocked – which is just what Gaga envisioned.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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Two months ago, Justin Bieber shocked the world with his excellent Swag, his first album in four years.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Steven reacts like a startled cat when Belly tells him, then pivots to comfort and action.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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But when expert judgment was most needed, the autopilot abruptly handed control back to the startled crew, and flooded the zone with urgent, confusing warnings.—
David Autor,
The Atlantic,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Twenty years ago this month, UCD stunned FBS-level Stanford with a late winning drive on the road in one of the great moments in program history.—
Joe Davidosn,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Chili’s has stunned the market with same-store sales surging 24% and its parent’s stock climbing 300% over the past three years.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The success of the event astonished everybody.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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We cannot be astonished to see the Supreme Court rubber-stamp nearly every effort by the right to expand executive power—including undermining the legitimacy of the lower courts.—
Stacey Abrams,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Guest was particularly awed by John’s willingness to push past his current health issues for the role.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
31 Aug. 2025
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An instant later, six-foot-tall flames burst upward in blazing pillars, followed by an intoxicating waft of garlic, lemon and herbs that permeated the air over a crowd of awed onlookers.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Predictably, the hubbub surrounding the photo was eventually framed as a war between uptight virgins and godless heathens, with a quieter contingent astounded only by the fact that this kind of marketing could still be so effective.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
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SpaceX astounded space aficionados around the world this week with the latest demo flight of its Starship, which from the start has been designed to shuttle spacefarers to Mars, Professor Webb tells me in an interview.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surprised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surprised. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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