1
as in abruptly
with great suddenness
the bus stopped suddenly, and somebody's lunch landed in the aisle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Then the 23-year-old's plane suddenly dove straight into the ground and caught on fire.
—
Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Their unlikely friendship ended in February 1987, when Warhol died suddenly after a complicated gall bladder operation.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Both then suddenly explode and are seen in flames.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
Claire is standing on her front lawn, and suddenly…a life upended, a body and soul severed, a reality redefined.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025
The viral clip shows Ryder suddenly jumping out of his stroller and dragging himself along a park path before a nearby dad gently scoops him up to safety.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
But what if the majority view here is wrong and valuations in frothy territory will suddenly start to matter?
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
When a Missouri mom's health insurance company couldn't come to an agreement with her hospital, most of her doctors were suddenly out of network.
—Bram Sable-Smith, NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Their unlikely friendship ended in February 1987, when Warhol died suddenly after a complicated gall bladder operation.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Both then suddenly explode and are seen in flames.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
Claire is standing on her front lawn, and suddenly…a life upended, a body and soul severed, a reality redefined.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025
The viral clip shows Ryder suddenly jumping out of his stroller and dragging himself along a park path before a nearby dad gently scoops him up to safety.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
But what if the majority view here is wrong and valuations in frothy territory will suddenly start to matter?
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
When a Missouri mom's health insurance company couldn't come to an agreement with her hospital, most of her doctors were suddenly out of network.
—Bram Sable-Smith, NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suddenly
Adverb
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Last week Halligan abruptly fired the author of the memo, career prosecutor Elizabeth Yusi, in part due to her resistance to bringing the case against James, sources said.—
Katherine Faulders,
ABC News,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Then, the activity abruptly stopped.—
Jim Beaugez,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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While working on the project, costs ballooned unexpectedly—reaching well over six figures—and this doctrine became an important reminder when justifying the expenses.—
Michelle Duncan,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The team proposes a few different mechanisms that could account for the unexpectedly rapid brightening of this comet from beyond the solar system.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suddenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suddenly. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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