SURPRISED Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

surprised 1 of 2

adjective

variants also surprized

Definition of surprised

as in startled

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surprised

2 of 2

verb

variants also surprized

past tense of surprise

as in amazed

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

as in ambushed

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of surprised

Adjective

Even in 1983, scientists were surprised to find that such a strong event had been underway. — Julia Cole, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026 The older mathematician may have been surprised to find his name attached to this new mathematical structure. — Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026

Verb

Jones, meanwhile, was surprised by how well their contrasting voices worked together. — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 Fikayo Tomori chose Leao as the player who surprised him most after the England defender moved to Italy. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surprised

Recent Examples of Synonyms for surprised

Adjective

Her face, indisputably middle-aged, had a pensive, startled quality.

— Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Even general manager Jonah Kaplan is a little startled by the café’s increasing popularity.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of startled

Verb

But of the many falsehoods told by them, there was one which quite amazed me.

— Agnes Callard, The New York Review of Books, 18 Aug. 2026
Just before halftime, van Persie slipped past the Spanish defensive line to receive a long-range pass from teammate Daley Blind and looped the ball over Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas with a first-time diving header that amazed the audience.

— Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026

Definition of amazed

Adjective

Maxwell, a fiction editor at The New Yorker, drew upon his own awed discovery of France in 1948; the novel’s opening paragraphs show one of the protagonists weeping at the sight of the French shore.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
But credit Neill for both understanding the assignment and not quite settling for those awed stares of Spielbergian wonder.

— Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Definition of awed

Verb

In 1974, the New York City music scene was shocked into consciousness by the violently new and raw sound of a band of misfits from Queens called the Ramones.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
The family's decision to return home to Harry's home country after six years in California shocked both sides of the Atlantic, sparking a range of reactions from confusion to celebration.

— Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of shocked

Verb

But the university’s recent actions in a lawsuit filed by a former student who was attacked on campus during that period appear at odds with that commitment.

— Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
Not long after Bungalow 8 opened, the World Trade Center was attacked.

— Derek C. Blasberg, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of attacked

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“Surprised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surprised. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of surprised

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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