not surprisingly

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "not surprisingly" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something is expected or predictable based on the context or prior knowledge. Example: "Not surprisingly, the team won the championship after their impressive season."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Not surprisingly".

The New Yorker

Norquist, not surprisingly, disagrees.

The New Yorker

Not surprisingly, John leaped.

The New Yorker

And not surprisingly.

Independent

Not surprisingly, Carlsen won.

The New Yorker

Not surprisingly I disagree.

The New York Times

Not surprisingly, he delivered.

The New York Times - Sports

Not surprisingly, they thrive.

The New Yorker

Not surprisingly, protesters demur.

The Guardian

Republicans, not surprisingly, pounced.

The New York Times

Not surprisingly, he quit.

The Guardian - Business

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "not surprisingly" to smoothly introduce an event or situation that logically follows from preceding information, creating a sense of continuity and understanding for the reader.

Common error

Avoid using "not surprisingly" too frequently in a short span of writing. Overuse can make your writing sound repetitive and predictable, diminishing its impact. Vary your phrasing to maintain reader engagement.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "not surprisingly" functions as an adverbial phrase. It modifies a clause or sentence, indicating that the statement is predictable or expected given the context. Ludwig shows this usage is common across varied sources.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

78%

Academia

12%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the adverbial phrase "not surprisingly" is a grammatically correct and very common way to introduce an expected outcome or situation. Ludwig's analysis reveals that it functions to convey inevitability and connect statements to existing context, used neutrally across diverse sources like news media, academic papers, and business communications. While completely correct, be mindful of overuse to avoid redundancy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unsurprisingly

This alternative is a direct synonym, maintaining the same tone and level of formality.

as expected

This alternative is more direct and concise, lacking the slight tone of commentary that "not surprisingly" can imply.

predictably

This alternative is a simple adverb that directly conveys the expected nature of an event.

it's to be expected

This alternative emphasizes the inevitability of the outcome.

it comes as no surprise that

This alternative is a more formal and emphatic way of expressing the lack of surprise.

one could have predicted

This alternative emphasizes the obviousness and ease of predicting the outcome.

as one might anticipate

This alternative is more formal and suggests a degree of foresight.

it was foreseeable that

This alternative highlights the ability to have predicted the outcome in advance.

in line with expectations

This alternative is a formal and business-oriented way of saying something was expected.

hardly a shock

This alternative is more informal and conveys a dismissive tone toward the lack of surprise.

FAQs

How can I use "not surprisingly" in a sentence?

You can use "not surprisingly" to introduce a statement that follows logically from previous information. For instance, "The team had trained rigorously all season; "not surprisingly", they won the championship."

What are some alternatives to "not surprisingly"?

Alternatives include "as expected", "unsurprisingly", "predictably", or "it comes as no surprise that" depending on the context.

Is it grammatically correct to start a sentence with "not surprisingly"?

Yes, it is grammatically correct. "Not surprisingly" functions as an adverbial phrase, which can modify the entire sentence and is commonly placed at the beginning for emphasis.

What's the difference between "not surprisingly" and "surprisingly"?

"Not surprisingly" indicates that something is expected, while "surprisingly" indicates that something is unexpected. For example, "Not surprisingly, the price of gas increased during the summer" versus "Surprisingly, the company reported record profits during the recession".