Surprisingly

How to spell surprisingly

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce surprisingly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does surprisingly mean?

1. adverbIn a way that is unexpected or that causes mild astonishment.

Surprisingly in a sentence

• The repair bill was surprisingly low given the damage to the car.

• The new recruit performed surprisingly well under pressure.

Where does surprisingly come from?

Language of origin: French

This adverb traces back to the verb surprise, which English took from Old French surprendre, meaning 'to overtake' or 'to seize suddenly'. That French verb was built from sur-, meaning 'over' or 'above', and prendre, 'to take', which itself descends from the Latin prehendere, 'to grasp or seize'. The earliest English sense, around the 1400s, was literally military: to be 'surprised' was to be caught unawares by a sudden attack. Over time the meaning softened from a physical ambush to the emotional jolt of the unexpected, and the participle 'surprising' grew the adverb ending -ly. The spelling trap lives in the first half: writers often drop the first 'r' (as in the common slip 'suprisingly') because that 'r' is barely sounded, and the silent 's' pronounced as 'z' adds to the confusion.

How the word is built

• sur- (over, beyond)
• pris (from prendre: to take, seize)
• -ing (present participle)
• -ly (adverb suffix)