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surprisal

/sərˈpraɪzəl/ noun · British & US
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What does surprisal mean?

noun

A measure of the amount of surprise in a random variable, calculated as the expected value of the logarithm of the odds of an event occurring. It is a measure of the information gained when the outcome of an event is known.

Example

"The surprisal of a coin flip is higher when the coin is fair than when it is biased."

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Etymologically related

Synonyms for surprisal

Antonyms of surprisal

Rhymes with surprisal