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The meaning of SURPRISE is an attack made without warning. How to use surprise in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Surprise.
Some common synonyms of surprise are amaze, astonish, astound, and flabbergast. While all these words mean "to impress forcibly through unexpectedness," surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel. surprised to find them at home.
- Where would 'amaze' be a reasonable alternative to 'surprise'?The meanings of amaze and surprise largely overlap; however, amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment. // amazed by the immense size of the place
- When is it sensible to use 'astonish' instead of 'surprise'?While the synonyms astonish and surprise are close in meaning, astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible. // a discovery that as...
- When is 'astound' a more appropriate choice than 'surprise'?The words astound and surprise are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, astound stresses the shock of astonishment. // too astounded to...
- When might 'flabbergast' be a better fit than 'surprise'?In some situations, the words flabbergast and surprise are roughly equivalent. However, flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderm...
SURPRISE definition: 1. an unexpected event: 2. the feeling caused by something unexpected happening: 3. to make…. Learn more.
surprise noun (FEELING) B2 [ U ] the feeling caused by something unexpected happening: He looked at her in/with surprise. To my great surprise, they agreed to all our demands. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Idiom. surprise, surprise. verb [ T ] us / sɚˈpraɪz / uk / səˈpraɪz /
Surprise, astonish, amaze, astound mean to strike with wonder because of unexpectedness, strangeness, unusualness, etc. To surprise is to take unawares or to affect with wonder: surprised at receiving a telegram. To astonish is to strike with wonder by something unlooked for, startling, or seemingly inexplicable: astonished at someone's behavior.
surprise noun (FEELING) B2. the feeling that you get when something happens that you did not expect: He agreed to everything, much to my surprise. take/catch sb by surprise. to be unexpected and make someone feel surprise: I wasn't expecting her to be so angry - it took me by surprise.
IPA guide. A surprise can be an unexpected or astonishing event, such as an ambush or a really great grade on a test you didn't study for. Surprise can be a verb meaning to astonish or startle someone, a noun for the unexpected thing, or for the feeling produced by that surprise.
