SUDDENLY Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

suddenly

adverb

Definition of suddenly

as in abruptly

with great suddenness the bus stopped suddenly, and somebody's lunch landed in the aisle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in unexpectedly

without warning suddenly, something fell out of the sky and landed in the field a few feet away

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of suddenly Video captured the tense moment when several feet-high floodwaters suddenly burst through the glass doors of an off-campus student home, sending a door panel flying across the room as water rushed inside and inundated the lower level. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026 Later, a friend stayed in the guest room and was surprised when the lights suddenly went on. — Anna Russell, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 My dad, Doug Franklin, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2026 She’s faced with the threat of being kicked out of her orphanage and must suddenly embrace her identity and confront the reality of making it through life on her own. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026 The Japanese icon fooled big league batters with a devastating splitter for 12 seasons before becoming an advisor to the Padres, and so Bednar suddenly had the perfect mentor to lean on. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026 Irresistible lure In a swirling age of coast-to-coast railroad mergers, the freight tracks that run through Barrington are suddenly one of the hottest stretches of track in North America. — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 Liam sweeps in like the ghost of Christmas Present and suddenly everyone — everyone being Noel — starts to wonder if this just might work after all. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026 His return could have bolstered a bullpen that has suddenly found Counsell searching for answers. — Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for suddenly

Adverb

Season five ended abruptly after a video leaked of Taylor Frankie Paul throwing a stool at her ex Dakota Mortensen and almost hitting her daughter.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
In July 2025, however, Bar K closed abruptly and, one month later, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in federal court.

— Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of abruptly

Adverb

Aaron, who died unexpectedly in 2022 at age 34, appeared on season 9 of the series in 2009.

— Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Step one at camp will be making the team, but the burning question after that is whether any of them could take an unexpectedly big leap and find themselves in a prominent role higher in the lineup by the end of the season.

— Max Bultman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026