Surprising
adj.joyful, hopefuleveryday
What it means
Unexpected in a pleasing or impressive way.
Reach for it when describing a pleasing or impressive result that was not reasonably expected
The small garden produced a surprising amount of food.
Choose between these
6- playful
when new information changes someone's understanding
not when An unexpected quantity or visual detail may surprise without teaching anything.
- warm
when the result deserves attention regardless of whether it was predicted
not when Familiar things can be remarkable, but they cannot surprise.
- professional
counterintuitive
when a result runs against ordinary reasoning or expectation
not when Counterintuitive is analytical and unsuitable for a charming personal surprise.
- professional
unexpected
when the departure from prediction is the exact fact
not when Unexpected is neutral; surprising adds positive interest here.
- formal
when the scale of the surprise is extremely strong
not when A small delightful discovery can be surprising without being astonishing.
- literary
startling
when sudden surprise creates a sharp jolt
not when Startling often suggests alarm and is too harsh for gentle good news.
Said against
3- expected
- predictable
- unsurprising
It naturally appears in
3- surprising result
The smallest test group produced the most surprising result.
- not surprising
It was not surprising that the shaded seedlings retained more water.
- surprising amount
The balcony garden yielded a surprising amount of food.