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Wonder vs Surprising - What's the difference?

wonder | surprising |

As nouns the difference between wonder and surprising

is that wonder is something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel while surprising is the action of the verb to surprise.

As verbs the difference between wonder and surprising

is that wonder is to be affected with surprise or admiration; to be struck with astonishment; to be amazed; to marvel while surprising is present participle of lang=en.

As an adjective surprising is

that is or are a surprise.

wonder

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
  • * , chapter=8
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=That concertina was a wonder in its way. The handles that was on it first was wore out long ago, and he'd made new ones of braided rope yarn. And the bellows was patched in more places than a cranberry picker's overalls.}}
  • Something astonishing and seemingly inexplicable.
  • Someone very talented at something, a genius.
  • The sense or emotion which can be inspired by something curious or unknown; surprise; astonishment.
  • * (Plato), Theætetus (section 155d)
    • Socrates: I see, my dear Theaetetus, that Theodorus had a true insight into your nature when he said that you were a philosopher, for wonder' is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in ' wonder . He was not a bad genealogist who said that Iris (the messenger of heaven) is the child of Thaumas (wonder).
  • * Bible, (w) iii. 10
    • They were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
  • * 1781 , (Samuel Johnson), The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets
    • All wonder is the effect of novelty upon ignorance.
  • (UK, informal) A mental pondering, a thought.
  • * 1934 , Katharine Tynan, The house of dreams
    • Miss Paynter had a little wonder as to whether the man, as she called Mr. Lacy in her own mind, had ever been admitted to this room. She thought not.

    Derived terms

    * bewonder * boy wonder * girl wonder * gutless wonder * little wonder * nine day wonder * no wonder * one hit wonder * * small wonder * Wonder Woman * wonderberry * wonderboy * wonderbra * wonderchild * wonderdrug * wonderful * wonderland * wonderment * wondrous, wonderous * wonderworker * work wonders

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To be affected with surprise or admiration; to be struck with astonishment; to be amazed; to marvel.
  • * (Jonathan Swift), (w, Gulliver's Travels)
    • I could not sufficiently wonder at the intrepidity of these diminutive mortals.
  • * Johnson
    • We cease to wonder at what we understand.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on an afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.}}
  • To ponder; to feel doubt and curiosity; to wait with uncertain expectation; to query in the mind.
  • * (William Shakespeare)
    • I wonder , in my soul, / What you would ask me, that I should deny.

    Derived terms

    * wonderer

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * 1000 English basic words ----

    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