as in commonplace
not causing surprise because you expected it
His anger over the mix-up is unsurprising. an unsurprising fact
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Recent Examples of unsurprising
Artificial reefs, created by scuttling ships, sinking oil rigs, or dropping rubble into the sea, have long been known to improve aquatic life, so perhaps these findings are unsurprising.
—
Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025
The surge in fighting is unsurprising.
—Liam Karr, Time, 8 Dec. 2025
There is also a shortage of manpower for Russia’s war machine (an unsurprising fact, given the astronomical casualty numbers, perhaps over a million men, that Russia has sustained).
—Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
Pixie cuts—2025’s favorite chop—were an unsurprising hit.
—Essence, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsurprising
Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025
The surge in fighting is unsurprising.
—Liam Karr, Time, 8 Dec. 2025
There is also a shortage of manpower for Russia’s war machine (an unsurprising fact, given the astronomical casualty numbers, perhaps over a million men, that Russia has sustained).
—Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
Pixie cuts—2025’s favorite chop—were an unsurprising hit.
—Essence, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsurprising
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsurprising
Adjective
-
Contrary to rumors of mass protests, the gathering of citizens (a commonplace sight at crucial legislative periods), was unobtrusive and orderly.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Bodyboarders and surfers haven’t historically gotten along, especially in the ’80s, when conflicts in the water were commonplace.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Yes, the rich women went to Sedona on Sutton’s private plane, but before that there were a few scenes back in boring old Los Angeles.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Disease prevention should be boring, routine, expected, and easy to access.—
Uché Blackstock,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Filming the stairs and seeing the response affirmed that her experience was, in fact, out of the ordinary.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
-
That means ordinary users cannot easily guess when Gen AI is reliable.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Set in a perpetually sunny, idealized England vaguely between the wars, The Code of the Woosters concerns the misadventures of man-about-town Bertie Wooster (stupid, amiable, rich) and his impeccably helpful valet Jeeves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
-
At Amiri’s trial last year, Manly-Williams was brushed off by the defense as the stupidest witness prosecutors presented.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
During pregnancy, common reasons for seeking care include early labor, bleeding, changes in fetal movement, or high blood pressure.—
MemorialCare Medical Group,
Oc Register,
10 Jan. 2026
-
These are common occurrences on the Las Vegas Convention Center’s show floor during CES, which wrapped on Friday.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Traditional humanoid robots depend heavily on data collected by human operators, which is slow and expensive.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Her days were slow and intentional.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
When Jensen was tiring of running her own business, her little brother did her the same favor of helping her land a job with the cannabis dispensary From The Earth at their Brookside location, where she was quickly hired and loved by her coworkers.—
PJ Green
January 7,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Although Richardson has only appeared in 25 of the 36 contests so far in his rookie campaign, the near first-half of his first year as a professional has been tiring for the 20-year-old who’s continued to adjust to his new life in Orlando.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Brake gently as needed - Brake normally if the vehicle has anti-lock brakes and pump brakes gently if in an older vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Come late January or early February, Denver could be down its defensive coordinator, a whiz-kid offensive mind, and a slightly older whiz-kid defensive mind.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsurprising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsurprising. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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