surprisingly

[ ser-prahy-zing-lee, suh- ]

adverb

1. in a way that causes a feeling of wonder or astonishment:

   The artist creates works that are both approachable and surprisingly sophisticated.

2. in a way that is seen as unlikely or unexpected:

   Despite its geographic isolation and small population, Reykjavik is surprisingly cosmopolitan.

   The phone has an impressive array of features, and yet is surprisingly affordable.

Other Words From

• un·sur·pris·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of surprisingly¹

surprising ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

He adds: "Increasing the area of restoration leads to a surprisingly high increase in diversity."

From Science Daily

Perhaps surprisingly, this was the first time that the world had taken direct aim at coal, oil and gas.

From BBC

I went in and surprisingly saved a lot of shots and had a lot of fun.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps surprisingly he speaks of Marks with fondness.

From BBC

Their analysis also revealed a "surprisingly young" eruption occurred some 2.83 billion years ago, something which has not been found on the near side of the Moon.

From BBC

Related Words

• absolutely
• awfully
• certainly
• decidedly
• deeply
• eminently
• exceedingly
• excessively
• extraordinarily
• extremely
• greatly
• highly
• incredibly
• noticeably
• particularly
• pretty
• profoundly
• remarkably
• terribly
• truly