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sudden

sudden

614 1.0
Happening quickly and without warning
  • adjective
  • /ˈsʌdən/
translation icon : repentino
  • We faced a sudden drop in temperature overnight.
  • sudden death
  • sudden change
  • sudden hearing loss

It's like taking a very sudden snapshot of the proton.

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Examples

  • As Sam rounds a corner, a sudden blast of music explodes out of nowhere.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • There was a sharp and sudden terrible event.

  • 'Wall Street analysts and company officials report 'they know of no reason for the sudden interest...'

  • Everything was carefully labeled, and he felt a sudden appreciation for the fact that he could read.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • He'd been somewhere else, Jazz realized, and her sudden words had jerked him out of a dream.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The sudden storm caught us off guard during our picnic.

  • Her sudden outburst surprised everyone in the meeting.

Synonyms

unexpected
vssudden
392 2.5

Happening without warning

stresses fast timing as well as lack of warning
abrupt
vssudden
37 4.6

Happening suddenly without warning

is quick and unannounced but may not involve a sharp change
spur-of-the-moment
vssudden
  • Informal
4 5.8

Happening suddenly without planning, often as a quick decision

describes quick events not focusing on decision or lack of planning
sharp
vssudden
3.2

Suddenly and quickly in a new direction

emphasises quickness in general rather than only changes in degree or direction

Antonyms

75 3.0

Happening slowly and steadily, not suddenly

1.2

Likely to happen or be true

Idioms

all of a sudden
  • Informal
987 2.7

Very quickly and without warning

of a sudden
  • Informal
116 7.1

Happens quickly and without warning

A sudden end that causes death or total ruin

Compounds

sudden death
  • Jargon
7 3.5

An overtime period where the first score wins the game

2 3.7

The sudden death of a baby under one year while sleeping, with no known cause

sudden amnesia
  • Specialized
7.9

A sudden loss of memory that comes without warning and lasts a short time

An unexpected failure of a machine that stops it working

9.2

A sudden series of very loud bangs like explosions

A sharp pain when a muscle suddenly tightens

A short fall of rain that starts without warning

How Sudden

instantaneous
35 5.1
sudden
614 1.0
abrupt
37 4.6
unexpected
392 2.5
gradual
75 3.0

Surface Forms

sudden positive

Etymology

Sudden comes from an old French word soudain and from the Latin word subitus, both meaning 'all at once' or 'unexpected'. So, a sudden event is one that happens very quickly and without warning.