sudden

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈsʌd.ən/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like sodden /ʌ/ vs /ɑ/

Freq #1838

Meanings

1

adj
Happening quickly and without warning.

A sudden storm blew our solar panels off the roof.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · happening quickly and... abrupt

More impetuous impulsive precipitant precipitate precipitous reckless spontaneous subitaneoussuddent

Opposites

eventual gradualunsudden

Word family

Derived forms suddenismsuddenly suddennesssuddentysuddenwovensupersudden

Related forms immediately speedy summary unceremonious

Appears in

Phrases (5)

See all

sudden death
death that occurs unexpectedly and without prior warning

Adjective + noun
sudden drop
an unexpected and quick decrease

Adjective + noun
sudden jump
an unexpected rapid increase in a quantity or level

Adjective + noun
sudden anger
a strong feeling of annoyance or outrage that arises without warning

Adjective + noun
sudden closeness
an unexpectedly short distance between people or objects

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English sodeyn, sodain, from Anglo-Norman sodein, from Old French sodain, subdain (“immediate, sudden”), from Vulgar Latin *subitānus (“sudden”), from Latin subitāneus (“sudden”), from subitus (“sudden", literally, "that which has come stealthily”), originally the past participle of subīre (“to come or go stealthily”), from sub (“under”) + īre (“go”). Doublet of subitaneous. Displaced native Old English fǣrlīċ.

sodeyn Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# sudden

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈsʌd.ən/
**Frequency rank:** 1838

## Meanings
1. Happening quickly and without warning.

## Examples
- A sudden storm blew our solar panels off the roof.

## Synonyms
- impetuous
- impulsive
- precipitant
- precipitate
- precipitous
- reckless
- spontaneous
- subitaneous
- suddent

## Antonyms
- eventual
- gradual
- unsudden

## Derived Forms
- suddenism
- suddenly
- suddenness
- suddenty
- suddenwoven
- supersudden

## Related Forms
- immediately
- speedy
- summary
- unceremonious

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sodeyn

## Etymology
From Middle English sodeyn, sodain, from Anglo-Norman sodein, from Old French sodain, subdain (“immediate, sudden”), from Vulgar Latin *subitānus (“sudden”), from Latin subitāneus (“sudden”), from subitus (“sudden", literally, "that which has come stealthily”), originally the past participle of subīre (“to come or go stealthily”), from sub (“under”) + īre (“go”). Doublet of subitaneous. Displaced native Old English fǣrlīċ.

## AI Etymology
Sudden is from Middle English sodeyn, sodain, from Anglo-Norman sodein, from Old French sodain, subdain (“immediate, sudden”), from Vulgar Latin *subitānus (“sudden”), from Latin subitāneus (“sudden”), from subitus (“sudden", literally, "that which has come stealthily”), originally the past participle of subīre (“to come or go stealthily”), from sub (“under”) + īre (“go”). Doublet of subitaneous. Displaced native Old English fǣrlīċ.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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