surprising

1 of 2

adjective

sur·​pris·​ing sər-ˈprī-ziŋ How to pronounce surprising (audio)
sə-
Synonyms of surprisingnext
: of a nature that excites surprise

surprising

2 of 2

present participle of surprise entry 2

Synonyms of surprising

Relevance

Adjective

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Examples of surprising in a Sentence

Adjective It's not surprising that he doesn't want to go. The changes to the campus were surprising. He shows a surprising lack of concern for others. A surprising number of people were laid off at the factory.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Not too much to write home about, but there’s a surprising amount of light for a railroad and a nice fire escape for your afternoon Zoom calls. — Nora Deligter, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026 Most surprising, Just Us is marked by a lack of intellectual rigor that often veers close to bad faith. — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 The Cavaliers made a somewhat surprising run to the conference title game a season ago, but there was a lot of personnel turnover on the offensive side. — Eddie Timanus, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 For something with only 256 pixels to play with, people have found a surprising number of things to put on them. — New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surprising

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surprising was in 1614

Rhymes for surprising

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Browse Nearby Words

surprise, surprise
surprising
surprisingly
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Cite this Entry

“Surprising.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surprising. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

surprising

adjective
sur·​pris·​ing
sə(r)-ˈprī-ziŋ
: causing surprise : amazing
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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