Standard Lemma guide

surprisingly

adv · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /səˈpɹaɪzɪŋli/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S ER0 P R AY1 Z IH0 NG L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: S AH0 P R AY1 Z IH0 NG L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

In a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: unexpectedly, unusually
  • The house was surprisingly small for such a numerous family.
  • Not surprisingly, the electrician didn't come at the time he had said.
  • Chema'd, surprisingly, paid for everything.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: believe it or not[sentence adverb]] sense>, unexpectedly, unusually

Antonyms: unsurprisingly, predictably, as usual[as usual

2

adverb

Meaning 2

in a surprising manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was surprisingly friendly

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

in an amazing manner; to everyone's surprise

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • amazingly, he finished medical school in three years

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: amazingly, astonishingly

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English surprising Middle English -ly English -ly English surprisingly From surprising + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

91 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: çuditërisht — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Asturian: sorprendentemente — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Azerbaijani: təəccüblə — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Bashkir: ғәжәп (ğəjəp) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Breton: eston — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Bulgarian: изненадващо (iznenadvašto) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Bulgarian: неочаквано (neočakvano) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Catalan: sorprenentment — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese Cantonese: 竟 (ging2) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese Cantonese: 竟然 (ging2 jin4) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese Cantonese: 居然 — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese Cantonese: 出乎意料地 — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese: 竟 (kèng) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese: 竟然 (zh-min-nan) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese: 居然 (kir-liân, ku-liân, ki-jiân) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese Mandarin: 竟 (jìng) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese Mandarin: 竟然 (jìngrán) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese Mandarin: 居然 (jūrán) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Chinese Mandarin: 出乎意料地 (chūhūyìliào de) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Wu Chinese: 居然 (1ciu-zoe) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Wu Chinese: 先勿先 — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Cornish: marthys — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Czech: překvapivě — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Danish: overraskende — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Dutch: verrassend — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Esperanto: surprize — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Esperanto: surprizante — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Estonian: üllatavalt — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Finnish: ihmeteltävästi — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Finnish: yllätyksellisesti — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Finnish: yllättävän — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Finnish: yllättävästi — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Finnish: ihme kyllä — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Finnish: ihmeesti — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • French: étonnamment — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Galician: sorprendentemente — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Georgian: გასაოცრად (gasaocrad) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Georgian: მოულოდნელად (moulodnelad) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • German: überraschend — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • German: überraschenderweise — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • German: erstaunlicherweise — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Greek: εκπληκτικά (ekpliktiká) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Hungarian: meglepően — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Hungarian: meghökkentően — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Ido: astonante — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Ido: surprizante — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Indonesian: kejutan — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Irish: go diail — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Italian: sorprendentemente — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Italian: a sorpresa — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Japanese: 驚くほど (odorokuhodo) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Japanese: 意外に (igai ni) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Japanese: なんと (nanto) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Japanese: 思いの外 (omoi no hoka) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Kazakh: ғаламат (ğalamat) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Korean: 뜻밖에 (tteutbakke) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Korean: 놀랍게도 (nollapgedo) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Latvian: pārsteidzoši — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Lithuanian: stebėtinai — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Macedonian: изненадно (iznenadno) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Macedonian: за чудо (za čudo) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Middle English: straungely — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overraskende — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forbausende — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: overraskande — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: forbausande — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Polish: zaskakująco — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Polish: zadziwiająco — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Portuguese: surpreendentemente — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Romanian: surprinzător — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Romansh: surprendentamain — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Russian: необыча́йно (neobyčájno) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Russian: удиви́тельно (udivítelʹno) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Serbo-Croatian: за̀чудо — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Serbo-Croatian: zàčudo — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Slovak: prekvapivo — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Slovak: prekvapujúco — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Slovene: nepričakovano — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Slovene: presenetljivo — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Spanish: sorprendentemente — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Spanish: sorpresivamente — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Spanish: fulminantemente — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Swedish: överraskande — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Tagalog: pagkakamangha — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Thai: อย่างแปลกใจ — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Turkish: şaşırtıcı bir şekilde — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Turkish: şaşırtıcı biçimde — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Ukrainian: навдивови́жу (navdyvovýžu) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Ukrainian: напро́чуд (napróčud) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Ukrainian: ди́вно (dývno) — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
  • Vietnamese: không ngờ — in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual
Real reading context

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