surprised

adjective

sur·​prised sər-ˈprīzd How to pronounce surprised (audio)
sə-
Synonyms of surprisednext
: feeling or showing surprise because of something unexpected
was very surprised to see her there
was too surprised to speak
a surprised expression

Examples of surprised in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But if a contender needs a hard-nosed, do-it-all weapon for a playoff push, don't be surprised if his phone rings. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026 The recent breakdown in the ceasefire has definitely hurt the situation but no one is surprised. — Chloe Taylor,sam Meredith,lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 30 July 2026 According to the complaint, both the prosecutor and defense attorney were surprised when Martinez rejected the agreement. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2026 Interestingly, Fauci was not surprised that one of the two who rejected the lab-leak hypothesis was a researcher who has been involved in gain-of-function research in a lab. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for surprised

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surprised was in 1882

Rhymes for surprised

See All Rhymes for surprised

Browse Nearby Words

Surprise
surprised
surprisedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surprised.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surprised. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on surprised

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for surprised

Nglish: Translation of surprised for Spanish Speakers

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