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tr.v. sur·prised, sur·pris·ing, sur·pris·es 1. To cause to feel wonder, astonishment, or amazement, as at something unanticipated: Thinking I was at home, she was surprised to see me in the office. We were surprised that he could recover so quickly. 2. a. To encounter or discover suddenly or unexpectedly; take or catch unawares: She surprised him as he was reading her diary. b. To attack or capture suddenly and without warning: surprised the sentries in a predawn raid, wounding several. 3. a. To cause (someone) to do or say something unintended or to be in an unintended condition: "There passed a scene ... that surprised me into courage to come forward" (Fanny Burney). b. To elicit or detect through surprise: "She occasionally surprised a look on Jemima's face" (Marcia Willett). n. 1. The act of surprising or the condition of being surprised: Imagine my surprise on seeing you here. 2. Something, such as an unexpected encounter, event, or gift, that surprises. [Middle English surprisen, to overcome, from Old French surprise, feminine past participle of surprendre, to surprise : sur-, sur- + prendre, to take (from Latin prehendere, prēndere, to seize; see ghend- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).] sur·priser n. sur·prising·ly adv. Synonyms: surprise, astonish, amaze, astound, dumbfound, flabbergast These verbs mean to affect a person strongly as being unexpected or unusual. To surprise is to fill with often sudden wonder or disbelief as being unanticipated or out of the ordinary: "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity" (George S. Patton). Astonish suggests overwhelming surprise: The sight of such an enormous crowd astonished us. Amaze implies astonishment and often bewilderment: The violinist's virtuosity has amazed audiences all over the world. Astound connotes shock, as from something unprecedented in one's experience: We were astounded at the beauty of the mountains. Dumbfound adds to astound the suggestion of perplexity and often speechlessness: His question dumbfounded me, and I could not respond. Flabbergast is used as a more colorful equivalent of astound, astonish, or amaze: "He was utterly flabbergasted by the accusation and for a few moments he was quite unable to reply" (Alexander McCall Smith). |
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