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
What Notre Dame put on tape at Hard Rock Stadium was unsurprising (a young quarterback finding his footing and a new defensive coordinator adjusting to his personnel), but the specific failures were jarring (an offensive line overrun and a Heisman-level running back shelved by choice).
—
Pete Sampson, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
On the one hand, the selective outrage is unsurprising.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
This is unsurprising given the makeup of the Legislature, with a Democratic supermajority backed by various special interests, especially public sector unions, eager to raid public coffers whenever possible.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
The list is also largely dominated by ’70s classics (unsurprising, given King was coming of age at this time in his 20s).
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsurprising
Pete Sampson, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
On the one hand, the selective outrage is unsurprising.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
This is unsurprising given the makeup of the Legislature, with a Democratic supermajority backed by various special interests, especially public sector unions, eager to raid public coffers whenever possible.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
The list is also largely dominated by ’70s classics (unsurprising, given King was coming of age at this time in his 20s).
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsurprising
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsurprising
Adjective
-
Hail, tornadoes and drought are all commonplace in the region.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Claims about the health and beauty benefits of collagen supplements are commonplace these days, especially online.—
Maria Godoy,
NPR,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Without getting into spoilers, her one-and-done appearance in Episode 5 presents the perfect opportunity for the more-than-capable Meester to match wits with Bell’s judgmental Joanna, only to strand the actor with boring, obvious jokes and saddle her with a feeble resolution.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Oct. 2025
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Now, adidas is also proving that hiking boots don’t have to look boring, since the brand’s perfect-for-fall versions are attractive as can be, what with their mingling of brown with other earth tones.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Second is its patience, which leads to some extremely effective scares as producer/writer/director/cinematographer/editor Oren Peli spins the tale of an ordinary suburban couple terrorized by an unseen entity.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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What separates them from ordinary companies isn’t better strategy.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And that’s a stupid, dumb, mindless question.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
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Dessert Week is the stupidest week, at least conceptually.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Those taking GLP-1s showed a slower rise in breath alcohol during the first 10 to 20 minutes and lower overall levels throughout.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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Researchers highlighted the current challenges for OCTOID, including slow thermal response and potential fatigue of CLCEs, and the weight of nichrome wires limiting flexibility.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That cost-cutting measure, which is common in other long-running shows, continued for the drama's 2025-26 season.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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Both areas had dinosaurs in common, such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Torosaurus.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But Braun was solid before tiring and working through injuries that affected him on the ball over the final month last season.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
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Instead of a chance to flex their goalscoring muscles, United had to grit their teeth and see out a gruelling, tense, tiring second half.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The residency blues In politics, fighting over where candidates live is a tale as old as time.—
Hayleigh Colombo,
IndyStar,
24 Oct. 2025
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Lutnick handed the reins of the company to his 27-year-old son, and his other son also works at Cantor.—
Melanie Hicken,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsurprising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsurprising. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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