Surprenants

Surprenants is the masculine plural form of the French adjective surprenant, used to describe things or events that are unexpected, noteworthy, or counter to expectations. In practice, surprenants can function as a nominal shorthand to refer to the surprising elements within a set of observations, phenomena, or arguments. Its feminine plural is surprenantes, and the singular forms are surprenant (masculine) and surprenante (feminine).

Etymology and forms: Surprenant derives from the verb surprendre, meaning to surprise, and carries the sense of cause for astonishment. The suffix -ant forms adjectives in French, yielding the standard gender and number variations: surprenant, surprenante, surprenants, surprenantes.

Usage: In formal writing, the adjective is preferred: for example, un résultat surprenant (a surprising result) or des résultats surprenants (surprising results). The noun usage is rarer and more stylistic: des surprenants can be used to denote the surprising elements of a discussion, dataset, or narrative, typically in a context where the author identifies and groups the items that stand out. In journalism and analysis, surprenants are often contrasted with expected or routine elements such as attendus (anticipated) or prévisibles (predictable) to emphasize novelty or deviation.

Nuance and scope: The term signals novelty, improbability, or deviation from a norm, but it does not specify the underlying causes of surprise. When used as a label, it is advisable to define the criteria that make an element surprenant to avoid vagueness and to maintain analytical precision.

See also: surprise, étonnement, imprévu, étonnant.