surprisingly

surprisingly — adverb

1. more than you would usually expect; to a degree that makes you feel surprised —

1.副詞A2
釋義

more than you would usually expect; to a degree that makes you feel surprised — used before an adjective or another adverb to say something has a quality to an unusual extent.

例句

The maths exam was surprisingly easy for a final-year paper.

surprisingly + easy (adjective)

Haruto speaks French surprisingly well after only six months of lessons.

surprisingly + well (adverb)

同義詞
  • astonishingly

    stronger; suggests greater shock or amazement

  • unexpectedly

    focuses on the lack of warning rather than the degree of surprise

  • remarkably

    implies something is worth noticing or commenting on; slightly more formal

反義詞
  • unsurprisingly

    in a way that is expected; the direct opposite of 'surprisingly'

文法句型

surprisingly + adjective/adverb

用法筆記

Frequently placed directly before the adjective or adverb it modifies: a surprisingly simple solution; she sings surprisingly well. Do not confuse this use with the sentence-adverb use (sense 2), where surprisingly begins a clause and means 'it is surprising that'.

常見錯誤

❌The test was surprising easy.
✅The test was surprisingly easy.
💡'surprising' is an adjective; you need the adverb 'surprisingly' to modify 'easy'.

2. used to show that you find the whole situation unexpected; it is surprising that

2.副詞B1
釋義

used to show that you find the whole situation unexpected; it is surprising that something happened or is true — placed at the beginning of a sentence to comment on the information that follows.

例句

Surprisingly, none of the passengers were injured when the bus skidded off the road.

sentence adverb at start of clause

Surprisingly, the old musician agreed to perform at the school talent show.

同義詞
  • astonishingly

    stronger emotional weight; suggests shock rather than mild surprise

  • incredibly

    suggests something is hard to believe; informal

  • unexpectedly

    focuses on the lack of prediction rather than the speaker's reaction

反義詞
  • unsurprisingly

    the most direct antonym; 'not surprisingly' is a common alternative

  • predictably

    focuses on the outcome being foreseeable

文法句型

Surprisingly, + [clause]

用法筆記

When used as a sentence adverb, 'surprisingly' usually appears at the start of a clause, set off by a comma. It can also appear mid-sentence ('The result, surprisingly, was a tie') or at the end ('She passed the exam, surprisingly.'). The negative form 'not surprisingly' or 'unsurprisingly' is very common and means 'in a way that is expected'.

常見錯誤

❌Surprisingly he arrived on time.' (no comma)
✅Surprisingly, he arrived on time.
💡a comma usually follows a sentence adverb at the start of a clause.