Surprising Meaning
/səˈpɹaɪzɪŋ/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbpresent participle and gerund of surprise
adjCausing surprise.
Sentence Examples
It is surprising that your wife should object.
It is not surprising that you should be scolded by your teacher.
The results of the scientific study were completely surprising to the researchers.
CEFR Practice Quiz
It was ____ to see the shy child sing loudly on stage.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was very ____ to see snow falling in the desert, as it is a very rare event in that part of the world today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English surprise English -ing English surprising From surprise + -ing.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"With this the second of three games in seven days for Stoke, it was hardly surprising to see nine changes from the side that started against Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday."
— 2011 November 3, David Ornstein, “Macc Tel-Aviv 1-2 Stoke”, in BBC Sport:
"Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return."
— 2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68:
"But the comments of most of these novelists are the record of their continual surprisings by the varieties of moral and aesthetic truths."
— 1983, David Dowling, Novelists on Novelists, page xii:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
It was ____ to see the shy child sing loudly on stage.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was very ____ to see snow falling in the desert, as it is a very rare event in that part of the world today.