Surprisingly is used when something happens in a way that you did not expect. It often introduces information that is different from what people might normally think.
Formed from 'surprising' plus the adverb suffix '-ly'. 'Surprising' comes from 'surprise', rooted in Old French 'surprendre' meaning 'to seize unexpectedly'.
Writers love 'surprisingly' because it tells readers, “Get ready, this breaks the pattern.” It signals that our mental shortcut about the world isn’t always right—and that’s where learning often begins.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.