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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
variants
also surprizing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of surprising
Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2025
That’s just one example of the many surprising insights urine can reveal about our health and habits.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Detroit rapper Kash Doll pulled out all the stops for her boyfriend, NFL star Za’Darius Smith’s 33rd birthday, surprising him with a custom ride that has fans talking.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surprising
Adjective
There’s an intriguing smokiness to the eggplant, a surprising depth.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2025
That’s just one example of the many surprising insights urine can reveal about our health and habits.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
After tense standoffs with Mallory (Crystle Stewart) and Horace's ex-wife, Olivia (Debbi Morgan), Kimmie enters the meeting and promptly takes it over, surprising the family with her mind for numbers.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Detroit rapper Kash Doll pulled out all the stops for her boyfriend, NFL star Za’Darius Smith’s 33rd birthday, surprising him with a custom ride that has fans talking.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surprising
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surprising
Adjective
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Here are five startling facts about this devastating storm.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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All through 2016 and 2017, Farm Bank grew at a startling rate.—
Moisés Naím,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Ohtani’s monster 4-4 night – which included two home runs, two doubles, an astonishing five walks and 12 total bases – helped the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-5 win in 18 innings on Monday.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
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It’s been struggling after an astonishing run this year, setting records and nearly reaching $4,400 per ounce last week.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After ambushing Fuller at her mansion, Teddy and his accomplice/cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) knock her unconscious with a tranquilizer and load her into the backseat of her own car.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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The offense also turned in another strong performance, ambushing Scherzer for three runs out of the gate before later getting home runs from Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narvaez to turn the game into a rout.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The skillful craftsmanship of the artists is amazing, and the story is also great.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025
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And being able to do that for a brand of my own would be so amazing — definitely my biggest goal.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And so for me, baseball is a wonderful place to leave everything, all the mess that the world is in, behind, and just watch these incredibly talented people exceed and do their jobs.—
Alison Weinflash,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
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Scientists have long known that dogs make wonderful companions, offering emotional support and even measurable health benefits to their human owners.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The chase ended in shocking fashion when an off-duty officer in a Toyota Camry veered into the biker’s path, deliberately collided with him and sent him and his motorcycle soaring into the air.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
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The first comes in the show’s shocking cold open, in which a mother gives birth to a demonic baby that subsequently attacks an 11-year-old boy.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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So Fritz will just have to settle for 15 stunning makeup looks instead.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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With stunning celerity, possibility becomes probability and then certainty, as readers reject the quiet, circuitous, and unglamorous narratives of prudential compromise, ambiguous diplomacy, or incremental progress.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The bad feelings flared up moments after Payton's Broncos pulled off a miraculous rally on Sunday, beating New York 33-32 in a game that Denver trailed by 18 with six minutes left.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
22 Oct. 2025
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Since defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos and raising expectations around the NFL, the Chargers have been on a less-than-stellar stretch in which their only victory in their past four games was a miraculous, last-minute win over the struggling Miami Dolphins.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surprising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surprising. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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