surprising UK /səˈpɹaɪzɪŋ/US /sɚˈpɹaɪzɪŋ/adjective 1noun 1forms 3 adjective1 •different from what people expected, in a way that makes them noticeA surprising number of people attended the rally. noun1 •A situation in which somebody is surprised.But the comments of most of these novelists are the record of their continual surprisings by the varieties of moral and aesthetic truths. — 1983 formssurprisings · more surprising · most surprising