sudden

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adjective sud·den \ ˈsə-dᵊn \

Definition of sudden

1 a :happening or coming unexpectedly

a sudden shower

b :changing angle or character all at once

a sudden drop in the ocean bottom

2 :marked by or manifesting abruptness or haste

a sudden departure

3 :made or brought about in a short time :prompt

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suddenly

adverb

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suddenness

play \ˈsə-dᵊn-(n)əs\ noun

See sudden defined for English-language learners

See sudden defined for kids

Examples of sudden in a Sentence

a sudden change in temperature
Sudden fame can be difficult to deal with.
She had a sudden urge to be outside.
His death was very sudden.
a sudden turn in the road
I was surprised by her sudden decision to quit.
The director's sudden departure leaves the organization's future uncertain.

Recent Examples of sudden from the Web

But the sudden switch in enemies only pointed out the deficiencies in a different character.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Defenders Proves Heroes Aren't Enough," 24 Aug. 2017
His defense attorneys are arguing that it was not premeditated, but committed spontaneously and out of sudden anger.

— gal tziperman lotan, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Man accused of stabbing caricature artist at Universal Orlando standing trial," 23 Aug. 2017
Imran Awan’s sudden arrest in late July meant the Justice Department would finally have to file formal charges in court.

— andrew c. mccarthy, National Review, "The Very Strange Indictment of Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s IT Scammers," 21 Aug. 2017
For all that divides us as a nation today, this is our lingua franca, the sudden, unexpected, violent joy of seeing a dude getting nuked in the junk.

— luke o'neil, Esquire, "Watching a Guy Take a Heater to the Crotch is America's True National Pastime," 17 Aug. 2017
And all of your instincts, all of a sudden, start to freak out.

— james deutsch, Smithsonian, "What Folklore Tells Us About Eclipses," 15 Aug. 2017
The picture was taken down just before news of the sanctions broke, but not before many questioned the sudden disappearance of the post.

— Hoy, "Mexican soccer star Rafa Marquez and Norteño singer Julion Alvarez among 22 sanctioned for drug ties," 9 Aug. 2017
OG, the European team that Winter’s crews had been filming, faced a sudden-death game Monday night and the prospect that they would be knocked out of competitive video-gaming’s biggest tournament on its first day.

— matt day, The Seattle Times, "‘Dota 2’ documentary: Big crowds, high stakes and plenty of KeyArena drama," 8 Aug. 2017
There's no doubt that seeing a sudden change in the color of the foliage surrounding our homes is exciting (and makes for excellent family photos).

— marissa gold, Country Living, "Here's Why Leaves Change Color In the Fall," 1 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sudden.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sudden

Middle English sodain, from Anglo-French sudain, from Latin subitaneus, from subitus sudden, from past participle of subire to come up, from sub- up + ire to go — more at sub-, issue

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First Known Use: 14th century

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sudden Synonyms

Synonyms

abrupt, unexpected, unanticipated, unforeseen, unlooked-for

Antonyms

anticipated, expected, foreseen

Related Words

unintended, unplanned; improbable, unlikely; startling, surprising

Near Antonyms

predicted, prophesied; unsurprising

Synonym Discussion of sudden

precipitate, headlong, abrupt, impetuous, sudden mean showing undue haste or unexpectedness. precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action.

- the army's precipitate withdrawal

headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought.

- a headlong flight from arrest

abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony.

- an abrupt refusal

impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness.

- an impetuous lover proposing marriage

sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action.

- flew into a sudden rage

sudden

noun

Definition of sudden

obsolete

:an unexpected occurrence :emergency

— all of a sudden or less commonly on a sudden

:sooner than was expected :at once

First Known Use of sudden

1558

SUDDEN Defined for English Language Learners

sudden

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adjective

Definition of sudden for English Language Learners

: happening, coming, or done very quickly in a way that is usually not expected

SUDDEN Defined for Kids

sudden

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adjective sud·den \ ˈsə-dᵊn \

Definition of sudden for Students

1 :happening or coming quickly and unexpectedly

… she was startled by a sudden outburst of noise.
—Robert C. O'Brien, Rats of NIMH

2 :met with unexpectedly

We came to a sudden turn in the road.

3 :hasty 2

He made a sudden decision.

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suddenly

adverb

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suddenness

noun

— all of a sudden

:sooner than was expected :suddenly

All of a sudden I saw him.

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sudden

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