Meaning & use
sudden
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Happening quickly with no warning, so that people are surprised.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a sudden noise, not the noise was sudden.
Patterns
- a sudden change in something
A sudden gust of wind blew the papers off the desk.
There was a sudden silence when she walked in.
His sudden departure surprised the whole team.
adjectivecomparable
Done or arranged very quickly, without being planned beforehand.
Grammar: Describes a decision or action: a sudden decision to move abroad.
Patterns
- a sudden decision to do something
It was a sudden decision to leave the party early.
They made a sudden turn to the left.
The sudden stop threw everyone forward.
Common combinations
- all of a sudden
- All of a sudden, the lights went out.
- sudden death
- The match ended in a sudden-death penalty shootout.
- a sudden stop
- The bus came to a sudden stop.
- sudden change
- A sudden change in weather ruined the picnic.
- a sudden urge
- She felt a sudden urge to laugh.
Synonyms and how they differ
- abrupt
- Abrupt often suggests something rough or unwelcome, such as an abrupt end, whereas sudden is neutral.
- unexpected
- Unexpected stresses surprise, but the event itself need not be fast the way a sudden one is.
- swift
- Swift stresses speed and is often positive, while sudden stresses the lack of warning.
- sharp
- Sharp is used for quick, steep changes such as a sharp rise, and fits fewer nouns than sudden.
Opposites
Word family
- suddenly adverb
- quickly and without warning
- suddenness noun
- the quality of happening quickly and unexpectedly
Commonly confused: sudden or sudden?
sudden vs sudden
Do not say 'on a sudden' or 'at sudden'; the usual phrases are 'all of a sudden' and 'suddenly'.
Practice
Choose the correct phrase: ___, the music stopped.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'all of a sudden'. The other options drop the article, add the wrong adverb form, or use a phrase that is not idiomatic.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sudden”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.