What does surprisingly mean?
Surprisingly is an adverb with two closely related uses. It can mean "in a way that causes surprise," as in "He surprisingly remembered the name," but its common modern use is to indicate that something is better, worse, more successful, or otherwise more noticeable than expected: "The results were surprisingly good." In this second sense, it often expresses the speaker's mild surprise while also emphasizing the degree or significance of a result. The word is suitable for formal writing, news reports, academic discussion, and everyday conversation. Its placement can affect emphasis: at the beginning of a sentence it commonly introduces a surprising fact, while before an adjective it more directly modifies that adjective. Surprising can occasionally sound emphatic, especially in phrases such as "surprisingly successful," but it is less dramatic than words like astonishing or shocking. The word is therefore useful not only for reporting an unexpected outcome but also for drawing attention to an unusual degree of success, failure, similarity, or change.
adverbIn a way that causes surprise; more commonly, to an extent or degree that is greater than expected.
- More than expected or greater than usual.
- In a way that causes surprise; to someone's surprise.
"The results were surprisingly good."
"Surprisingly, the proposed scheme was rejected by the committee."
"The treatment was surprisingly effective in the trial."
A tiny "-ly" can do a lot of work: "surprisingly good" means "better than expected," not merely "good in a surprising way."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does surprisingly come from?
Surprisingly was formed in English by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to the adjective surprising. Surprising and surprise belong to a word family that entered English through Anglo-French and Old French, ultimately drawing on Latin prehendere, meaning "to seize or catch," in the sense of being unexpectedly taken by surprise. The English derivative surprising developed alongside the older noun and verb, and the adverb surprisingly preserves both the sense of causing surprise and the idiomatic sense of being more than expected.
Related word forms
How surprisingly is actually used
Surprisingly is neutral in register and especially common before adjectives such as good, bad, successful, and similar. At the beginning of a sentence, it can mean "to one's surprise," while before an adjective it usually means "more than expected."
Easily confused with surprisingly
Surprising is an adjective describing something that causes surprise, while surprisingly is an adverb modifying a verb or describing an unexpected degree or outcome.