Nota: La traducción de esta entrada está actualmente en revisión de calidad, por lo que parte del contenido se muestra temporalmente solo en inglés.
Esta entrada aún no se ha traducido a tu idioma, así que se muestra el original a continuación.
surprising
/səˈpɹaɪzɪŋ/
Describes an event, fact, or quality that deviates from what was predicted or expected. It is a neutral term that can swing toward positive (a surprising gift) or negative (surprising news of a failure).
Unlike 'astonishing' or 'staggering', which imply a high degree of shock or disbelief, 'surprising' is more moderate. It suggests a mild to moderate breach of expectation rather than a total collapse of logic.
In professional contexts, it is often used as a polite hedge to express disagreement or skepticism without being confrontational (e.g., "It would be surprising if the budget were approved without changes").
💬Conversación Casual
The CEO actually liked my slide deck. Kinda surprising, right?
Shocking. Now stop bugging me and just reboot your laptop.
Meanings
Examples
It is surprising how quickly the city has changed.
I found it surprising that he resigned so suddenly.
It was surprising to see her there after all these years.
The amount of detail in the ruins is surprising.
Surprisingly, the cat and dog get along perfectly.
Collocations & Compounds
surprising result
Noun collocation: an outcome that was not expected
surprising twist
Noun collocation: an unexpected development in a story or situation
surprising amount
Noun collocation: a quantity that is larger or smaller than expected
somewhat surprising
Adjective collocation: slightly unexpected
utterly surprising
Adjective collocation: completely and totally unexpected
The sudden announcement of their engagement was utterly surprising to the whole family.
Etymology
Derived from the verb surprise, which entered English via the Old French surprendre, a compound of sur- meaning over and prendre meaning to seize. The original sense referred to capturing someone by surprise or taking them unawares, which evolved from the Latin super meaning above and prehendere meaning to grasp. Over time, the term shifted from a physical act of ambush to a general state of astonishment or the quality of being unexpected.