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suddenly

 - 3 dictionary results

sud⋅den

  [suhd-n]
Use suddenly in a Sentence
–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.
—Idiom
8. all of a sudden, without warning; unexpectedly; suddenly.
Also, on a sudden.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME sodain (adj. and adv.) < MF < L subitāneus going or coming stealthily, equiv. to subit(us) sudden, taking by surprise (see subito ) + -āneus composite adj. suffix, equiv. to -ān(us) -an + -eus -eous

Related forms:
sud⋅den⋅ly, adverb
sud⋅den⋅ness, 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To suddenly
sud·den   (sŭd'n)   
adj.  

  1. Happening without warning; unforeseen: a sudden storm.

  2. Characterized by hastiness; abrupt or rash: a sudden decision. See Synonyms at impetuous.

  3. Characterized by rapidity; quick and swift.


[Middle English sodain, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *subitānus, from Latin subitāneus, from subitus, from past participle of subīre, to approach stealthily : sub-, secretly; see sub- + īre, to go; see ei- in Indo-European roots.]
sud'den·ly adv., sud'den·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

sudden 
c.1290 (implied in suddenly), perhaps via Anglo-Fr. sodein, from O.Fr. subdain "immediate, sudden," from V.L. *subitanus, variant of L. subitaneus "sudden," from subitus "come or go up stealthily," from sub "up to" + ire "come, go." Phrase all of a sudden first attested 1681, earlier of a sudayn (1596), upon the soden (1558). Sudden death, tie-breakers in sports, first recorded 1927; earlier in ref. to coin tosses (1834).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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