surprising

/sərˈpraɪzɪŋ/

/səˈpraɪzɪŋ/

Surprising things are completely unexpected—they astonish or startle you. It would be surprising for most of us to get a phone call from the Queen of England.

Unless you suspected your friend was planning something, the surprise party she throws for your birthday will be surprising. Things that are surprising take you aback or even confuse you a little bit. The adjective surprising comes from surprise, via the Old French sorprendre, "to overtake or seize." The original meaning of surprise party was a stealth military action.

Definitions of surprising

1. adjective

   causing surprise or wonder or amazement
   “the report shows a surprising lack of hard factual data”

   “leaped up with surprising agility”

   “she earned a surprising amount of money”

   synonyms:

   unexpected

   not expected or anticipated

   amazing, astonishing

   surprising greatly

   startling

   so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm

   stunning

   causing great astonishment and consternation

   antonyms:

   unsurprising

   not causing surprise

   expected

   considered likely or probable to happen or arrive