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
When their son Hamnet dies suddenly, Agnes and William are thrown into unimaginable grief, which the Bard then channels into arguably the most influential play of all time.
—
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2026
From wry self-effacement, the Screen Actors Guild has suddenly opted for self-erasure.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
Shortly after his torn thigh, his father died suddenly in September at 58.
—ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026
After speeding through streets in Sherman Oaks and Studio City, the driver suddenly pulled over to the side of the road.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
The franchise’s baseline foundation, suddenly, stacks up with most any across the NFL.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
His big man suddenly has one foul.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Among the many things that suddenly had been ripped away from him, there was that, too.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2026
Their dream of Italian citizenship suddenly vanished.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2026
From wry self-effacement, the Screen Actors Guild has suddenly opted for self-erasure.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
Shortly after his torn thigh, his father died suddenly in September at 58.
—ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026
After speeding through streets in Sherman Oaks and Studio City, the driver suddenly pulled over to the side of the road.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
The franchise’s baseline foundation, suddenly, stacks up with most any across the NFL.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
His big man suddenly has one foul.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Among the many things that suddenly had been ripped away from him, there was that, too.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2026
Their dream of Italian citizenship suddenly vanished.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suddenly
Adverb
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Minnesota envisioned him as a kick returner who would add receiver depth, but on his first kick return in the team’s first preseason game, Moore was injured when he was pulled abruptly to the ground.—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
PreCheck was affected at the Milwaukee Mitchell airport this morning, then abruptly reopened after DHS reversed course.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
22 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Cardiac arrest occurs when a person’s heart stops beating unexpectedly, which in turn stops blood flow to the brain and other organs.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Feb. 2026
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For decades, scientists have found that the ice giant’s upper atmosphere is unexpectedly cooling—and these latest measurements show that trend is still going.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suddenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suddenly. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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