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View synonyms for sudden

sudden

[suhd-n]

adjective

  1. happening, coming, made, or done quickly, without warning, or unexpectedly.

    a sudden attack.

    Antonyms: gradual
  2. occurring without transition from the previous form, state, etc.; abrupt.

    a sudden turn.

    Antonyms: gradual
  3. impetuous; rash.

  4. Archaic.,  quickly made or provided.

  5. Obsolete.,  unpremeditated.



adverb

  1. Literary.,  without warning; suddenly.

noun

  1. Obsolete.,  an unexpected occasion or occurrence.

sudden

/ ˈsʌdən /

adjective

  1. occurring or performed quickly and without warning

  2. marked by haste; abrupt

  3. rare,  rash; precipitate

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. archaic,  an abrupt occurrence or the occasion of such an occurrence (in the phrase on a sudden )

  2. without warning; unexpectedly

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. poetic,  without warning; suddenly

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • suddenly adverb
  • suddenness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sudden1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English adjective and adverb sodain, soden, sodan(e), from Middle French soudain, from Vulgar Latin subitānus, from Latin subitāneus “going or coming stealthily,” equivalent to subitus “sudden, arising without warning” + -āneus composite adjective suffix, equivalent to -ānus + -eus; subito, -an, -eous
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sudden1

C13: via French from Late Latin subitāneus, from Latin subitus unexpected, from subīre to happen unexpectedly, from sub- secretly + īre to go
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. all of a sudden, without warning; unexpectedly; suddenly. Also on a sudden

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Synonym Study

Sudden, unexpected, abrupt describe acts, events, or conditions for which there has been no preparation or gradual approach. Sudden refers to the quickness of an occurrence, although the event may have been expected: a sudden change in the weather. Unexpected emphasizes the lack of preparedness for what occurs or appears: an unexpected crisis. Abrupt characterizes something involving a swift adjustment; the effect is often unpleasant, unfavorable, or the cause of dismay: He had an abrupt change in manner. The road came to an abrupt end.
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Just before Candy’s fifth birthday, his father died of complications with heart disease, a sudden event that was largely swept under the rug by Candy’s family during his childhood.

Read more on Salon

"September, October used to be peak season with pleasant weather but these days we see extreme weather all of a sudden and the temperature drops so quickly."

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"All of a sudden we just a heard a loud bang. We didn't know if it was a gun or what," she said.

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“That then destabilized the Treasury market—because all of a sudden, you have all these sellers,” he says.

Read more on Barron's

“That then destabilized the Treasury market—because all of a sudden, you have all these sellers,” he says.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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suddsudden adult death syndrome