What does surprisedly mean?
Surprisingly is an adverb meaning unexpectedly or in a manner that causes surprise. It is commonly used before a statement to highlight how different the outcome is from what might have been expected: "Surprisingly, the experiment succeeded on its first attempt." It can also introduce information that expresses the speaker's own surprise, often functioning similarly to "to my surprise" or "to everyone's surprise." The word has a neutral, factual tone in many contexts, though it may sometimes convey admiration, approval, or mild astonishment depending on what follows. Its usefulness lies in efficiently drawing attention to an unexpected result while preserving the natural flow of the sentence.
adverbIn a way that is unexpected or surprising. It can also be used to express the speaker's surprise: "Surprisingly, everyone agreed."
- In an unexpected or surprising manner.
- Used to express the speaker's surprise at a statement, often with the meaning "to one's surprise".
"Surprisingly, the small village had its own well-stocked library."
"Surprisingly, the delayed train arrived exactly on time."
"Surprisingly, no one objected to the change."
Sometimes the best surprises are the ones that arrive in a perfectly ordinary sentence.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does surprisedly come from?
The adverb "surprisingly" was formed in English by adding the suffix -ly to the adjective "surprised," with the spelling change that reflects its pronunciation. "Surprised" comes from "surprise," which entered English from Anglo-French and was ultimately connected to Latin roots meaning to seize or overtake unexpectedly. Related English forms include "surprising" and "surprise," as well as the now less common "surprisal," all reflecting the same lexical family.
Related word forms
How surprisedly is actually used
The adverb is common in both formal and informal English. In its expression-of-surprise sense, it is often followed by a comma and a clause stating what was unexpected.
Easily confused with surprisedly
"Surprising" describes something that causes surprise, while "surprisingly" usually describes the unexpected way something happens or qualifies a statement as contrary to expectation.