1
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
2
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
The individuals were then spotted by security cameras attempting to leave through an emergency exit door while carrying numerous bags, before suddenly pivoting toward a flight of stairs and running up to the floor above.
—
Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
The return of Matthews the Superstar Auston Matthews is suddenly on pace for 44 goals after scoring for the seventh time in the last five games.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Less than a minute into the video, as the singer sits by herself in the middle of the desert, the camera suddenly flashes to Blue, who is wearing a dress nearly identical to her mom's gown.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
On Netflix April 24, 2026 | Action Thriller A grieving woman testing her limits in the Australian wilderness is suddenly ensnared in a deadly game with a ruthless predator.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
The company suddenly went dark, not responding to some 60,000 customers with outstanding car loans.
—Samuel O'Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
Ah, suddenly this all makes sense.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
All of it gone, suddenly, overnight.
—Kenneth Turan, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
The Windy City is suddenly besieged by a string of bomb threats, but in the midst of all the false alarms, a real situation emerges in the form of military-grade smoke grenades, which points to a terrorist threat.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
The return of Matthews the Superstar Auston Matthews is suddenly on pace for 44 goals after scoring for the seventh time in the last five games.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Less than a minute into the video, as the singer sits by herself in the middle of the desert, the camera suddenly flashes to Blue, who is wearing a dress nearly identical to her mom's gown.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
On Netflix April 24, 2026 | Action Thriller A grieving woman testing her limits in the Australian wilderness is suddenly ensnared in a deadly game with a ruthless predator.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
The company suddenly went dark, not responding to some 60,000 customers with outstanding car loans.
—Samuel O'Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
Ah, suddenly this all makes sense.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
All of it gone, suddenly, overnight.
—Kenneth Turan, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
The Windy City is suddenly besieged by a string of bomb threats, but in the midst of all the false alarms, a real situation emerges in the form of military-grade smoke grenades, which points to a terrorist threat.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suddenly
Adverb
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When the building abruptly closed this spring, with tenants initially given just 48 hours to vacate, Hartquist hopped across the skyway to the Town Square building.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
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Meanwhile, Tommy travels to Louisiana for a launch party marking the start of M-Tex’s offshore drilling project — but the celebration quickly unravels when Cami (Demi Moore) abruptly cuts ties with him.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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The Miami Hurricanes are at home, while the entire state of Indiana – save for some in West Lafayette – is content to abandon their homes to enjoy this unexpectedly stupefying playoff march.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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Zannaki Pill Organizer Having to check a bag unexpectedly is another common occurrence while boarding, and one that causes many passengers to panic.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suddenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suddenly. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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