sudden

[suhd-n]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sudden ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

happening, coming, made, or done quickly, without warning, or unexpectedly: a sudden attack.

occurring without transition from the previous form, state, etc.; abrupt: a sudden turn.

impetuous; rash.

Archaic. quickly made or provided.

Obsolete. unpremeditated.

adverb

Literary. suddenly.

noun

Obsolete. an unexpected occasion or occurrence.

Idioms

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

Origin of sudden

1250–1300; Middle English sodain (adj. and adv.) < Middle French < Latin subitāneus going or coming stealthily, equivalent to subit(us) sudden, taking by surprise (see subito) + -āneus composite adj. suffix, equivalent to -ān(us) -an + -eus -eous

Related formssud·den·ly, adverbsud·den·ness, noun

Synonyms for sudden

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sudden ON THESAURUS.COM

1, 2. unforeseen, unanticipated. 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.

Antonyms for sudden

1, 2. gradual, foreseen.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for suddenness

bewilderment, consternation, revelation, shock, jolt, miracle, disappointment, curiosity, amazement, awe, wonder, astonishment, phenomenon, precipitance, miscalculation, portent, disillusion, prodigy, start, attack

Examples from the Web for suddenness

Contemporary Examples of suddenness

But it was the suddenness of his proposal to Megan upon arriving back in New York that had even her gasping with surprise.
Mad Men's 12 Most Memorable Moments
Jace Lacob
October 18, 2010
The suddenness of Sarah Palin's resignation Friday raises the question about whether Palin is leaving to avert a major scandal.
Did a Scandal Sink the U.S.S. Palin?
Max Blumenthal
July 3, 2009

Historical Examples of suddenness

The suddenness of it all held Mary voiceless for long seconds.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Then he disappeared with a suddenness that made the colonel and Dick gasp.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler
He was stunned by the suddenness of the catastrophe that had overtaken them.
Two Thousand Miles Below
Charles Willard Diffin
Moreover, the suddenness of the call alarmed her and raised doubts.
The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 2, May, 1851
Various
Polly sat still in her chair, dazed by the suddenness and injustice of it.
Polly of Lady Gay Cottage
Emma C. Dowd

British Dictionary definitions for suddenness

sudden

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 Formssuddenness, noun

Word Origin for sudden

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

Word Origin and History for suddenness

sudden

adj.

late 13c., perhaps via Anglo-French sodein, from Old French subdain "immediate, sudden," from Vulgar Latin *subitanus, variant of Latin subitaneus "sudden," from subitus "come or go up stealthily," from sub "up to" + ire "come, go." Phrase all of a sudden first attested 1680s, earlier of a sudayn (1590s), upon the soden (1550s). Sudden death, tie-breakers in sports, first recorded 1927; earlier in reference to coin tosses (1834).

Idioms and Phrases with suddenness

sudden

see all of a sudden.