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Staggering vs Surprising - What's the difference?

staggering | surprising |

As verbs the difference between staggering and surprising

is that staggering is while surprising is .

As adjectives the difference between staggering and surprising

is that staggering is incredible, overwhelming, amazing while surprising is that is or are a surprise.

As nouns the difference between staggering and surprising

is that staggering is the motion of one who staggers while surprising is the action of the verb to surprise .

staggering

English

Verb

(head)

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Incredible, overwhelming, amazing.
    • The army suffered a staggering defeat.

    Derived terms

    * staggeringly

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The motion of one who staggers.
  • * 1837 , Memoirs of Mirabeau'' (in ''The Westminster Review , volume 26, page 436)
    • There are to whom the gods, in their bounty, give glory: but far oftener it is given in wrath, as a curse and a poison; disturbing the whole inner health and industry of the man; leading onward through dizzy staggerings and tarantula jiggings
  • That which staggers something or somebody.
  • * (Ebenezer Erskine)
    • But these doubts, and fears, and staggerings , although they may be in the believer, yet they are not in his faith; these things argue the infirmity of his faith, indeed; but under all this, faith is fighting for the victory

    surprising

    English

    Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (s)
  • The action of the verb to surprise .

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • That is or are a surprise.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=November 3, author=David Ornstein, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= Macc Tel-Aviv 1-2 Stoke , passage=With this the second of three games in seven days for Stoke, it was hardly surprising to see nine changes from the side that started against Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-06, volume=408, issue=8843, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= The rise of smart beta , passage=Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.}}

    Synonyms

    * astonishing, unexpected See