Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
mite surprised

mite surprised

1 6.8
A little shocked by something you did not expect
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : un poco sorprendido
  • She was a mite surprised by the unexpected gift.

Examples

  • I was a mite surprised by the news.

  • I was a mite surprised to see him at the meeting after all.

  • Tom looked mite surprised when he heard the news.

  • She seemed a mite surprised to see him.

  • She was a mite surprised to see her old friend walk through the door.

  • I was a mite surprised when I heard the news about the promotion.

  • He seemed a mite surprised by the unexpected gift at his birthday party.

Synonyms

surprised
vsmite surprised
357 1.0

Feeling sudden wonder when something unexpected happens

is a milder slight feeling of that same reaction

Antonyms

unmoved
8 5.1

Not showing strong feelings or any visible reaction

unaffected
3 3.9

Not changed or harmed by something and not showing strong feeling

How Surprised

astonished
21 2.7
aback
39 6.0
surprised
357 1.0
mite surprised
  • UK
1 6.8

Surface Forms

mite surprised positive

Morphology

mite + surprised

The meaning 'slightly surprised' is directly derived from combining 'mite' (a very small amount) with 'surprised' (experiencing sudden wonder), producing a straightforward degree-modifier pattern. This compositional modifier + adjective structure is cross-linguistically common and, despite 'mite' being somewhat informal or dated, a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase mite surprised uses mite in its old meaning of something very small, like a tiny insect or a small coin. That image of only a tiny amount of surprise shows why it means 'a little' surprised.