sudden

[ suhd-n ]
/ ˈsʌd n /
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adjective

adverb

Literary. suddenly.

noun

Obsolete. an unexpected occasion or occurrence.

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Idioms for sudden

    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

SYNONYMS FOR sudden

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.
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ANTONYMS FOR sudden

1, 2 gradual, foreseen.
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OTHER WORDS FROM sudden

sud·den·ly, adverbsud·den·ness, noun

Words nearby sudden

sudation, sudatorium, sudatory, sudbury, sudd, sudden, sudden adult death syndrome, sudden death, sudden infant death syndrome, suddenly, sudeck's atrophy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to suddenness

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

Example sentences from the Web for suddenness

British Dictionary definitions for suddenness

sudden
/ (ˈsʌdən) /

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, 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

Idioms and Phrases with suddenness

sudden

see all of a sudden.

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