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Glite Dictionary
mite surprised

mite surprised

1 6.8
A little shocked by something you did not expect
  • idiom
  • UK
: 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
∞ 1.0

Feeling sudden wonder when something unexpected happens

is a milder slight feeling of that same reaction

Antonyms

unaffected
32 3.9

Not changed or harmed by something and not showing strong feeling

unmoved
10 5.1

Not showing strong feelings or any visible reaction

How Surprised

flabbergasted
15 6.7
astonished
55 2.7
aback
33 6.0
surprised
∞ 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.