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

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, 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?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use surprise in a sentence?

1. Bernie Sanders:

   It should come as no surprise that corporate CEOs and billionaires have united against our movement. These people have a vested interest in preserving the status quo so they can keep their grip on power and continue to exploit working people across America, we welcome their hatred.

2. Robin Arzon:

   I was shocked, it was something I wasn’t very familiar with at all. And I’m very healthy, so it certainly came as a surprise.

3. Wolfgang Bock:

   There is a lack of a deeper understanding of the culture in many Middle Eastern countries and this results in Western stakeholders being taken by surprise over the fervent antisemitism there.

4. Scott Keifer:

   What was most interesting about that is if you dig in the details the primary surprise came from consumption, you are going to see the consumer spending number continue to inch up and get better and better as we continue on in this expansion.

5. Joseph Scrocca:

   We believe there are foreign fighters there, probably in the hundreds, the (SDF) and our partners there are facing a pretty heavy fight -- that's what makes this type of operation so daring. I think we were lucky we caught ISIS by surprise. They are still reacting to this maneuver.