surprisingly
In unexpected fashion
Surprisingly signals that what follows defies expectation: Surprisingly, he agreed without argument.
It can modify adjectives—surprisingly good, surprisingly few—to indicate the quality exceeded or fell short of what was anticipated.
The word often carries a note of pleased discovery, though it works equally well for unwelcome revelations.
Without prior indication
- unforeseenNot predicted or expected
- unanticipatedNot predicted beforehand
- unpredictablyWithout foreseeable pattern
- out of the blueWithout any forewarning
serendipitously · coincidentally · randomly · accidentally · by chance · unplanned · spontaneously · suddenly
To an unusual degree
- strikinglyIn attention-grabbing manner
- astoundinglyIn a shocking manner
- incrediblyTo an extreme degree
- extraordinarilyTo a remarkable degree
phenomenally · impressively · stunningly · amazingly · wonderfully · marvelously · spectacularly · exceptionally
In a startling manner
- alarminglyIn a worrying manner
- disturbinglyIn an unsettling manner
- disconcertinglyIn an upsetting manner
- jarringlyIn a clashing manner
unnervingly · startlingly · disquietingly · troublingly · dismayingly · jolting · rattling · unsettlingly
In a strange manner
- strangelyIn unusual manner
- curiouslyIn an inquiring way
- peculiarlyIn an unusual manner
- bizarrelyIn a strange manner
inexplicably · paradoxically · counterintuitively · incongruously · perplexingly · bafflingly · mysteriously · enigmatically
unexpectedly
Without prior indication
- unforeseenNot predicted or expected
- unanticipatedNot predicted beforehand
- unpredictablyWithout foreseeable pattern
out of the blue · serendipitously · coincidentally · randomly · accidentally · by chance · unplanned · spontaneously · suddenly · abruptly
remarkably
To an unusual degree
- strikinglyIn attention-grabbing manner
- astoundinglyIn a shocking manner
- incrediblyTo an extreme degree
extraordinarily · phenomenally · impressively · stunningly · amazingly · wonderfully · marvelously · spectacularly · exceptionally · breathtakingly
shockingly
In a startling manner
- alarminglyIn a worrying manner
- disturbinglyIn an unsettling manner
- disconcertinglyIn an upsetting manner
jarringly · unnervingly · startlingly · disquietingly · troublingly · dismayingly · jolting · rattling · unsettlingly · chillingly
oddly
In a strange manner
- strangelyIn unusual manner
- curiouslyIn an inquiring way
- peculiarlyIn an unusual manner
bizarrely · inexplicably · paradoxically · counterintuitively · incongruously · perplexingly · bafflingly · mysteriously · enigmatically · confusingly
- sentence startersoddly, curiously, strangely, remarkably, notably
- believe it or notamazingly, incredibly, shockingly, remarkably, unbelievably
- intensifier adverbsamazingly, incredibly, unbelievably, remarkably, extraordinarily
- sentence adverbsobviously, certainly, probably, possibly, perhaps
- adverbsquickly, slowly, very, really, now
- intensifiersvery, really, extremely, absolutely, incredibly
surprisinglyunsurprisingly
As was foreseen
predictably · expectedly · as expected · naturally · of course
- surprising truthsFacts contrary to expectations