SUDDENLY

abruptly, suddenly, short, dead

(adverb) quickly and without warning; “he stopped suddenly”

suddenly, all of a sudden, of a sudden

(adverb) happening unexpectedly; “suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her side”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adverb

suddenly (comparative more suddenly, superlative most suddenly)

Happening quickly and with little or no warning; in a sudden manner.

Synonyms

• all of a sudden

• without warning

Antonyms

• unsuddenly

Source: Wiktionary


SUDDEN

Sud"den, a. Etym: [OE. sodian, sodein, OF. sodain, sudain, F. soudain, L. subitaneus, fr. subitus sudden, that has come unexpectedly, p.p. of subire to come on, to steal upon; sub under, secretly + ire to go. See Issue, and cf. Subitaneous.]

1. Happening without previous notice or with very brief notice; coming unexpectedly, or without the common preparation; immediate; instant; speedy. "O sudden wo!" Chaucer. "For fear of sudden death." Shak. Sudden fear troubleth thee. Job xxii. 10.

2. Hastly prepared or employed; quick; rapid. Never was such a sudden scholar made. Shak. The apples of Asphaltis, appearing goodly to the sudden eye. Milton.

3. Hasty; violent; rash; precipitate. [Obs.] Shak.

Syn.

– Unexpected; unusual; abrupt; unlooked-for.

– Sud"den*ly, adv.

– Sud"den*ness, n.

Sud"den, adv.

Definition: Suddenly; unexpectedly. [R.] Herbs of every leaf that sudden flowered. Milton.

Sud"den, n.

Definition: An unexpected occurrence; a surprise. All of a sudden, On a sudden, Of a sudden, sooner than was expected; without the usual preparation; suddenly. How art thou lost! how on a sudden lost! Milton. He withdrew his opposition all of a sudden. Thackeray.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

18 March 2025

ODONTOGLOSSUM

(noun) any of numerous and diverse orchids of the genus Odontoglossum having racemes of few to many showy usually large flowers in many colors


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the most massive cup of coffee contained 22,739.14 liters and was created by Alcaldía Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolívar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, on 15 June 2019. Fifty people worked for more than a month to build this giant cup. The drink prepared was Arabic coffee.

coffee icon