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Webster 1913 Edition


Surprising

Sur-pris′ing

,
Adj.
Exciting surprise; extraordinary; of a nature to excite wonder and astonishment;
as,
surprising
bravery; a
surprising
escape from danger.
Sur-pris′ing-ly
,
adv.
Sur-pris′ing-ness
,
Noun.
Syn. – Wonderful; extraordinary; unexpected; astonishing; striking.

Webster 1828 Edition


Surprising

SURPRI'SING

,
ppr.
Falling on or taking suddenly or unawares; striking with something novel; taking by a sudden or unexpected attack.
1.
a. Exciting surprise; extraordinary; of a nature to excite wonder and astonishment; as surprising bravery; surprising patience; a surprising escape from danger.

Definition 2024


surprising

surprising

English

Verb

surprising

  1. present participle of surprise

Adjective

surprising (comparative more surprising, superlative most surprising)

  1. That is or are a surprise.
    • 2011 November 3, David Ornstein, Macc Tel-Aviv 1-2 Stoke”, in BBC Sport:
      With this the second of three games in seven days for Stoke, it was hardly surprising to see nine changes from the side that started against Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday.
    • 2013 July 6, The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68:
      Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.
    A surprising number of people attended the rally.

Synonyms

Derived terms

See Wikisaurus:surprising

Translations

Noun

surprising (plural surprisings)

  1. A situation in which somebody is surprised.
    • 1983, David Dowling, Novelists on Novelists (page xii)
      But the comments of most of these novelists are the record of their continual surprisings by the varieties of moral and aesthetic truths.