French word

étonnamment

Pronunciation

IPA/etonamɑ̃/

Meaning

  • adverbsurprisingly

Example

C'est étonnamment cher ici.

It is surprisingly expensive here.

Illustration for étonnamment (surprisingly)

More examples

La ville est étonnamment calme pour un samedi soir.

The city is surprisingly calm for a Saturday night.

Core concept

An expected result suddenly stands out as surprising.

Common phrases

  • étonnamment cher

    surprisingly expensive

  • étonnamment calme

    surprisingly calm

Similar words

étrangement: In a way that feels odd or unnatural.
bizarrement: In a bizarre or peculiar way.
curieusement: In a way that arouses wonder and surprise.

Definition in French

Sert à souligner qu'une situation surprend, souvent en contraste avec une attente antérieure.

Word origin

Étonnamment is formed from étonnant with the adverbial suffix -ment, while étonner comes through Old French estoner from Latin extonare, linked to thunder.

Usage tips

  • Étonnamment can describe the speaker's attitude and may sound ironic, so context determines whether the surprise is sincere.

Opposites

  • prévisiblementpredictablyadverb
  • normalementnormallyadverb

Related words

Word lists with this word