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sudden
[ suhd-n ]
/ ËsÊd n /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
adverb
Literary. without warning; suddenly.
noun
Obsolete. an unexpected occasion or occurrence.
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Idioms about sudden
Origin of sudden
First recorded in 1250â1300; Middle English adjective and adverb sodain, soden, sodan(e), from Middle French soudain, from Vulgar Latin subitÄnus, from Latin subitÄneus âgoing or coming stealthily,â equivalent to subitus âsudden, arising without warningâ + -Äneus composite adjective suffix, equivalent to -Änus + -eus; see origin at subito,-an, -eous
synonym study for sudden
1, 2. 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.
OTHER WORDS FROM sudden
sud·den·ly, adverbsud·den·ness, nounWords nearby sudden
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sudden in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for sudden
sudden
/ (ËsÊdÉn) /
adjective
occurring or performed quickly and without warning
marked by haste; abrupt
rare rash; precipitate
noun
archaic an abrupt occurrence or the occasion of such an occurrence (in the phrase on a sudden)
all of a sudden without warning; unexpectedly
adverb
mainly poetic without warning; suddenly
Derived forms of sudden
suddenness, nounWord Origin for sudden
C13: via French from Late Latin subitÄneus, from Latin subitus unexpected, from subÄ«re to happen unexpectedly, from sub- secretly + Ä«re to go
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with sudden
sudden
see all of a sudden.
The American HeritageÂź Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.