Synonyms for Surprise
sərˈpraɪz, sə-sur·prise

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:4.0 / 2 votes

1. surprisenoun

   To undergo or witness something unexpected.

   He doesn't surprise easily.

   Synonyms:
   astonishment

2. surpriseverb

   To cause surprise.

   Synonyms:
   unexpected

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.6 / 5 votes

1. surprise

   Amazement and astonishment both express the momentary overwhelming of the mind by that which is beyond expectation. Astonishment especially affects the emotions, amazement the intellect. Awe is the yielding of the mind to something supremely grand in character or formidable in power, and ranges from apprehension or dread to reverent worship. Admiration includes delight and regard. Surprise lies midway between astonishment and amazement, and usually respects matters of lighter consequence or such as are less startling in character. Amazement may be either pleasing or painful, as when induced by the grandeur of the mountains, or by the fury of the storm. We can say pleased surprise, but scarcely pleased astonishment. Amazement has in it something of confusion or bewilderment; but confusion and bewilderment may occur without amazement, as when a multitude of details require instant attention. Astonishment may be without bewilderment or confusion. Wonder is often pleasing, and may be continuous in view of that which surpasses our comprehension; as, the magnitude, order, and beauty of the heavens fill us with increasing wonder. Compare PERPLEXITY.

   Synonyms:
   admiration, amazement, astonishment, awe, bewilderment, confusion, perplexity, wonder

   Antonyms:
   anticipation, calmness, composure, coolness, expectation, indifference, preparation, self-possession, steadiness, stoicism

   Preposition:
   I was filled with amazement at such reckless daring.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.3 / 12 votes

1. surprise

   Synonyms:
   startle, astonish, alarm, amaze, confuse

   Antonyms:
   prepare, premonish, forewarn

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:2.3 / 4 votes

1. surprisenoun

   the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

   Synonyms:
   surprisal

2. surprisenoun

   a sudden unexpected event

   Synonyms:
   surprisal

3. surprise, surprisalverb

   the act of surprising someone

   Synonyms:
   surprisal, surprise

4. surpriseverb

   cause to be surprised

   "The news really surprised me"

   Synonyms:
   storm

5. surpriseverb

   come upon or take unawares

   "She surprised the couple"; "He surprised an interesting scene"

   Synonyms:
   storm

6. storm, surpriseverb

   attack by storm; attack suddenly

   Synonyms:
   rage, surprise, force, ramp, storm

Matched Categories

1. • Act
   • Affect
   • Astonishment
   • Attack
   • Change

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. lawks

   Submitted by anonymous on December 20, 2020  

2. unexpected gift

   an unexpected gift

   the surprise was a brand new phone

   Submitted by allisonmariegraham27 on April 9, 2019  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:3.5 / 2 votes

1. surprisenoun

   Synonyms:
   wonder, astonishment, amazement, admiration

2. surpriseverb

   Synonyms:
   take unawares, take by surprise, take off one's guard

3. surpriseverb

   Synonyms:
   astonish, amaze, startle, strike with wonder, take aback

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:2.3 / 3 votes

1. surprisenoun

   Synonyms:
   amazement, astonishment

2. surpriseverb

   Synonyms:
   amaze, astonish, astound

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:1.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "surprise":

   surprised, astonishment, sudden, amazement, surprises, surprlse, -surprise, short-notice, amaze, unexpected, wonder, surprising, blitz, stuns

Suggested Resources

1. surprise

   The surprise symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the surprise symbol and its characteristic.

How to pronounce Surprise?

How to say Surprise in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use Surprise in a sentence?

1. Tom Strother:

   When I put my post up on Facebook yes I was a excited Dad. And also I wanted to make people aware that there is elk in northern Missouri. Donald White said his daughter has faced social media bullying since the incident. (Donald White) There’s no hunting season for elk in Missouri. The state’s conservation department reintroduced the animal at Peck Ranch Conservation Area in 2011 and is currently growing a herd. However, the elk Wilson shot was about 200 miles away from the herd, Springfield News-Leader reported. There are no reports of elk in this area. It was kind of a surprise to us. There was no evidence of any ear tags or collars on this one.

2. John Cornyn:

   I think things are looking up. But obviously each state's a little different and obviously Colorado and North Carolina and Maine and Arizona are at the top of our list, but we also see opportunities to pick up seats in Alabama, maybe Michigan and maybe there will be another surprise in there.

3. John Large:

   These reactors are over 40 years old. This is a generic defect which cannot be fixed so it would not surprise me if the older plants would all need to close within the next few years.

4. Bill Hasencamp:

   There was a lot of surprise with that remark.

5. La Russa:

   Everybody in our big league staff knew he was special, the way he advanced through the system, it’s no surprise. Success speaks for itself.