Sudden Definition

sŭdn
adjective
suddenest
Happening or coming unexpectedly; not foreseen or prepared for.
A sudden storm came up.
Webster's New World
Happening without warning; unforeseen.
A sudden storm.
American Heritage
Done, coming, or taking place quickly or abruptly; hasty.
Webster's New World
Sharp or abrupt.
A sudden turn in the road.
Webster's New World
Milton.
The apples of Asphaltis, appearing goodly to the sudden eye.
Wiktionary
Antonyms:
adverb

(poetic) Suddenly.

Wiktionary
noun
(obsolete) An unexpected occurrence; a surprise.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Sudden

Adjective

Base Form:
sudden
Superlative:
suddenest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Sudden

Origin of Sudden

  • From Middle English sodain, from Anglo-Norman sodein, from Old French sodain, subdain (“immediate, sudden"), from Vulgar Latin *subitānus (“sudden"), from Latin subitaneus (“sudden"), from subitus (“sudden", literally, "that which has come stealthily"), originally the past participle of subire (“to come or go stealthily"), from sub (“under") + ire (“go").

    From Wiktionary

  • 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 sub– īre to go ei- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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