- present participle of surprise.
surprising
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of surprising
Explanation
Surprising things are completely unexpected—they astonish or startle you. It would be surprising for most of us to get a phone call from the Queen of England. Unless you suspected your friend was planning something, the surprise party she throws for your birthday will be surprising. Things that are surprising take you aback or even confuse you a little bit. The adjective surprising comes from surprise, via the Old French sorprendre, "to overtake or seize." The original meaning of surprise party was a stealth military action.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But with Neymar's surprising return, the number 10 has gone back to the 34-year-old Santos forward.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
The surprising disparity creates an opportunity for investors willing to buy a SpaceX proxy at what appears to be a sizable discount to its net asset value.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
"The fact that we found it here in one-third of our coyotes was surprising, because it wasn't found anywhere in the Pacific Northwest until earlier this year."
From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026
As a 1962 high-school graduate, I find this perspective surprising.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
“Perhaps it is not anyone’s birthday today,” Penelope replied, but she found it surprising as well.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
