sudden

CEFRA2

/ˈsʌd.ən/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Happening quickly and unexpectedly.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Hastily prepared or employed; quick; rapid.

Examples

  • A sudden illness prevented him from going there.

  • News of his sudden and unexpected death came as a great shock.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings
  1. Hasty; violent; rash; precipitate.

  2. Occurring quickly with little or no warning or expectation; instantly.

noun

Extra meaning
  1. An unexpected occurrence; a surprise.

More examples

In context
  • The sudden increase of cars is causing a large number of traffic accidents every day.

  • The sudden drop in temperature left everyone cold and confused.

  • From lightninges and tempeſtes, from plage, peſtilence, and famine, from battayle and murther, and from ſodayn death. / Good lord deliver us.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

There is a blank drop in temperature outside that makes everyone shiver.

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Nearby

Origin

adjective

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.