who would have thought
English Meaning & Definitions
An exclamation used to express surprise or mild irony when something unexpected or improbable happens.
- “Who would have thought that they would end up getting married after years of disliking each other?”
- “Who would have thought it would snow in the middle of May?”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “who would have thought”.
An idiomatic rhetorical exclamation composed of standard English auxiliary verbs and the past participle of the verb 'think'. It emerged in common usage as a fossilized phrase expressing genuine surprise, irony, or mild astonishment at unexpected turns of events, building upon the literal meaning of pondering an improbable outcome.
Imagine looking at a bizarre coincidence and saying out loud to yourself: 'Who (on earth) would have thought this possible?'
Frequently Asked Questions About “who would have thought”
1. What is the meaning of “who would have thought” in English?
In English, who would have thought (idiom) is defined as: “An exclamation used to express surprise or mild irony when something unexpected or improbable happens.”.
2. How do you use “who would have thought” in a sentence?
“Who would have thought that they would end up getting married after years of disliking each other?”
3. What are English synonyms of “who would have thought”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “who would have thought”?
An idiomatic rhetorical exclamation composed of standard English auxiliary verbs and the past participle of the verb 'think'. It emerged in common usage as a fossilized phrase expressing genuine surprise, irony, or mild astonishment at unexpected turns of events, building upon the literal meaning of pondering an improbable outcome.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.