sudden

[suhd-n] /ˈsʌd n/
adjective
1.
happening, coming, made, or done quickly, without warning, or unexpectedly:
a sudden attack.
2.
occurring without transition from the previous form, state, etc.; abrupt:
a sudden turn.
3.
impetuous; rash.
4.
Archaic. quickly made or provided.
5.
Obsolete, unpremeditated.
adverb
6.
Literary. suddenly.
noun
7.
Obsolete. an unexpected occasion or occurrence.
Idioms
8.
all of a sudden, without warning; unexpectedly; suddenly.
Also, on a sudden.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English sodain (adj. and adv.) < Middle French < Latin subitāneus going or coming stealthily, equivalent to subit(us) sudden, taking by surprise (see subito) + -āneus composite adj. suffix, equivalent to -ān(us) -an + -eus -eous
Related forms
suddenly, adverb
suddenness, noun
Synonyms
1, 2. unforeseen, unanticipated. Sudden, unexpected, abrupt describe acts, events, or conditions for which there has been no preparation or gradual approach. Sudden refers to the quickness of an occurrence, although the event may have been expected: a sudden change in the weather. Unexpected emphasizes the lack of preparedness for what occurs or appears: an unexpected crisis. Abrupt characterizes something involving a swift adjustment; the effect is often unpleasant, unfavorable, or the cause of dismay: He had an abrupt change in manner. The road came to an abrupt end.
Antonyms
1, 2. gradual, foreseen.
Examples from the web for sudden
  • Shoddy manufacturing is unlikely to explain the sudden failures observed.
  • The sudden addition of new people also makes your network look pretty strange.
  • But no one likes the traffic, the crowds, the sudden infusion of citified bustle and self-importance.
  • Apt to suffer from sudden dieback or borers add to my plant list.
  • The tunnels leading to the mining area bulge and swell and are prone to sudden rock-bursts.
  • Capital controls should be part of their defences, too, against sudden floods of foreign cash.
  • The explanation of this sudden arrival is a scientific conundrum.
  • When a sudden abnormality in the balance of the signals occurs, the result is a pattern of eye movements referred to as nystagmus.
  • To care for holiday gift plant, keep in a sunny window and avoid sudden temperature changes.
  • As the party laid out a picnic, a sudden downpour sent its members scurrying for cover.
British Dictionary definitions for sudden

sudden

/ˈsʌdən/
adjective
1.
occurring or performed quickly and without warning
2.
marked by haste; abrupt
3.
(rare) rash; precipitate
noun
4.
(archaic) an abrupt occurrence or the occasion of such an occurrence (in the phrase on a sudden)
5.
all of a sudden, without warning; unexpectedly
adverb
6.
(mainly poetic) without warning; suddenly
Derived Forms
suddenness, noun
Word Origin
C13: via French from Late Latin subitāneus, from Latin subitus unexpected, from subīre to happen unexpectedly, from sub- secretly + īre to go
Word Origin and History for sudden
adj.

late 13c., perhaps via Anglo-French sodein, from Old French subdain "immediate, sudden," from Vulgar Latin *subitanus, variant of Latin subitaneus "sudden," from subitus "come or go up stealthily," from sub "up to" + ire "come, go." Phrase all of a sudden first attested 1680s, earlier of a sudayn (1590s), upon the soden (1550s). Sudden death, tie-breakers in sports, first recorded 1927; earlier in reference to coin tosses (1834).

Idioms and Phrases with sudden

sudden

see: all of a sudden