surprisingly
English
[edit]
Etymology
[edit]Etymology tree
From surprising + -ly.
Pronunciation
[edit]Adverb
[edit]surprisingly (comparative more surprisingly, superlative most surprisingly)
- In a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual.
- Synonym: believe it or not (synonymous with the sentence adverb sense)
- Antonyms: unsurprisingly; predictably; as usual (and its synonyms)
- 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.
- 2012 April 23, Angelique Chrisafis, “François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election”, in the Guardian[1]:
- François Hollande has moved a step closer to becoming the first Socialist president of France in a generation by beating the incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, in the first round of elections. But the surprisingly high vote for the extreme-right candidate, Marine Le Pen, boosted the overall figures for the right and meant that the final runoff vote on 6 May remains on a knife edge.
Usage notes
[edit]- This adverb is more often used to modify an adjective than a verb. It also often functions as a disjunct in the form of a sentence adverb.
Translations
[edit]in a way that causes surprise because it is unexpected, or unusual — see also unsuspectedly, amazingly
Categories:
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leyg- (like)
- English terms suffixed with -ly (adverbial)
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English adverbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations