SUDDEN Definition & Meaning

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sudden

[ suhd-n ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

happening, coming, made, or done quickly, without warning, or unexpectedly:
a sudden attack.
Antonyms:
occurring without transition from the previous form, state, etc.; abrupt:
a sudden turn.
Antonyms:
impetuous; rash.
Archaic. quickly made or provided.
Obsolete. unpremeditated.

adverb

Literary. without warning; suddenly.

noun

Obsolete. an unexpected occasion or occurrence.

sudden

/ ˈ��ʌ��ə�� /

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

poetic.
without warning; suddenly

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Derived Forms

ˈ��ܻ��ԲԱ��, noun

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

��ܻ�d��·�� adverb
��ܻ�d��·�Ա�� noun

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51�Թ� 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 ��ܲ��Գܲ�, from Latin ��ܲ��Ա�ܲ� “going or coming stealthily,” equivalent to subitus “sudden, arising without warning” + -��Ա�ܲ� composite adjective suffix, equivalent to -��Գܲ� + -eus; subito, -an, -eous

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of sudden¹

C13: via French from Late Latin ��ܲ��Ա�ܲ�, from Latin subitus unexpected, from ��ܲ�ī�� to happen unexpectedly, from sub- secretly + ī�� to go

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Idioms and Phrases

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

More idioms and phrases containing sudden

see all of 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 have not been reviewed.

Hapna’s affordability and touted lack of side effects led to its global usage, followed by Skinner’s sudden disappearance.

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And this sudden drop may be the worst time for investors to follow their impulses, they said.

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Gen. Rob Bonta, eight Democratic-leaning states filed suit in Boston and argued that Congress had approved the grants and that their sudden canceling was not “authorized by law.”

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“Her sudden loss leaves all of us heartbroken, and searching for ways to be of help to her family.”

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Rennie, who officiated more than 300 top-flight fixtures between 1997 and 2008, was on a birthday trip to Turkey last year when he was hit with a sudden striking pain in his back.

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

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