“She was delighted by the unexpected surprise party.”
Redundancies Entry 369 / 1011 60-second read
Unexpected Surprise
A surprise by definition is something unexpected, making 'unexpected' redundant.
The comparisoni
“She was delighted by the surprise party.”
More examplesii
01
I love getting unexpected surprises from friends.
I love getting surprises from friends.
02
The unexpected surprise visit boosted team morale.
The surprise visit boosted team morale.
03
The unexpected surprise ending shocked everyone.
The surprise ending shocked everyone.
The ruleiii
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SURPRISE MEANS UNEXPECTED: A surprise by definition is something that happens without warning o…
People add 'unexpected' to emphasize the shock or delight of a surprise. In casual speech, the redundancy feels natural because both words describe the emotional impact, making it seem like they mean slightly different things.
Memory aidiv
Remember it like this
Can you have an 'expected surprise'? No—that's a contradiction. Surprise already means unexpected, so adding 'unexpected' is saying the same thing twice.