suddenadjective
uk/ˈsʌd.ən/us/ˈsʌd.ən/B2 happening or done quickly and without warning:
Drop the gun, put your hands in the air, and don't make any sudden movements.
He had a sudden heart attack while he was on holiday.
First they announce their engagement and then they tell me Angie's pregnant - it's all a bit sudden.
More examples
- I'd strongly advise against making a sudden decision.
- Everyone in the office was surprised by Graham's sudden departure.
- There was a sudden loud noise.
- A sudden gust of wind blew his umbrella inside out.
- A sudden snowstorm paralysed the city.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Not expected or planned
- ad hoc
- ad hocism
- ad hockery
- ad lib
- ad-lib
- adventitious
- against (all) the odds/against all odds idiom
- explosive
- involuntary
- it's just one of those things idiom
- just like that idiom
- make sth up as you go along idiom
- muddle
- rude
- spur
- unawares
- undreamed of
- unexpected
- unforeseen
- unintended
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suddenness
noun [ U ] uk/ˈsʌd.ən.nəs/us/ˈsʌd.ən.nəs/
It was the suddenness of his illness that came as such a shock.
Idiom(s)
all of a sudden