Surprisingly
/sərˈpraɪzɪŋli/
Definitions
In a manner that is unexpected or causing surprise.
/sərˈpraɪzɪŋli/
In a way that causes surprise.
Surprisingly, it didn't rain today.
💡 Simply: When something happens that you didn't expect, it's happening surprisingly! Like, "Surprisingly, the cat learned how to open the refrigerator!"
👶 For kids: When something happens that you didn't think would happen, it's surprising!
More Examples
The results were surprisingly positive.
She was surprisingly calm during the crisis.
How It's Used
"He surprisingly won the competition."
"The election results were surprisingly close."
From 'surprise' + '-ingly', reflecting its function as an adverb derived from an adjective. 'Surprise' comes from Middle French 'surprise', meaning 'to seize or overtake'.
The adverb 'surprisingly' is a relatively modern construction, becoming common in written English in the 19th century.
Memory tip
Think of a surprising event and how you'd describe it.