surprising

surprising — adjective

1. not what you thought would happen, so that you feel surprised, often in a pleasa

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

not what you thought would happen, so that you feel surprised, often in a pleasant or interesting way

Example

It was surprising to see Mayumi finish the race before everyone else.

it is surprising + to-infinitive

Tamar found it surprising that the library stayed open until midnight.

find it surprising + that-clause

Common collocations
  • not at all surprising
  • somewhat surprising
  • highly surprising
  • surprising discovery
  • surprising result
  • surprising number
  • surprising amount
  • surprising twist
Synonyms
  • unexpected

    the most direct synonym; 'unexpected' is neutral while 'surprising' adds emotional impact

  • astonishing

    much stronger; suggests something so far from what seemed possible that it is hard to believe

  • startling

    implies a sudden, sharp surprise, often with a physical reaction like jumping back

Antonyms
  • expected

    the direct opposite — something you knew was coming

  • predictable

    suggests that something happens exactly as one would guess, so no surprise at all

Grammar Patterns

it + be + surprising + to-infinitive

it + be + surprising + that-clause

surprising + noun

find + it + surprising + that-clause

Usage Note

Commonly confused with 'surprised': 'surprising' describes something that causes the feeling (the movie is surprising → it makes you feel surprise), while 'surprised' describes the person who has the feeling (I am surprised by the movie).

Common Mistakes

I am very surprising to see you.
I am very surprised to see you.
'surprising' describes the thing that causes the feeling, not the person who has it.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While all three words describe something you did not see coming, 'unexpected' is the most neutral — it simply means 'not predicted or foreseen' (e.g., 'The rain was unexpected'). 'Surprising' adds emotional impact: the unexpected thing makes you stop and react. 'Astonishing' is far stronger, suggesting something so far beyond what seemed possible that it is hard to believe (e.g., 'The magician's trick was astonishing'). 'Startling' implies a sudden, sharp jolt — something that makes you physically jump (e.g., 'A startling noise came from the kitchen'). Use 'surprising' for everyday surprises, 'astonishing' for extraordinary events, and 'startling' for sudden alarms.

unexpected ↗astonishing ↗startling ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • come as no surprise
  • it is hardly surprising that…

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

'Surprising' is the adjective form of 'surprise', which entered English from Old French 'surprendre' — meaning to overtake or seize unexpectedly. The French verb came from Latin 'super-' (over, above) + 'prehendere' (to grasp, seize). So the original picture is of being 'caught from above' or ambushed — an idea that still sits at the heart of the modern meaning: something that catches you off guard.