Dictionary

suddenly en · ADV

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• [sʌd.n̩.li]
• /ˈsʌd.ən.li/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English sodenly, sodeynly, sodeinliche, sodaynlyche; equivalent to sudden + -ly.

Meanings

1. Happening quickly and with little or no warning; in a sudden manner.
   • Shannon Spann had an infant, Jake, to care for and two stepdaughters to suddenly raise by herself. 2013 September 8, Wayne Darsh, “A child of war, with a sense of purpose”, in CNN, archived from the original on 15 Jul 2025:
   • They've suddenly decided to sell the house.
   • Suddenly, the heavens opened and we all got drenched.
   • But ever since the concept of "hamartia" recurred through Aristotle's Poetics, in an attempt to describe man's ingrained iniquity, our impulse has been to identify a telling defect in those brought suddenly and dramatically low. 2014 October 21, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities: Bladerunner's punishment for killing Reeva Steenkamp is but a frippery when set against the burden that her bereft parents, June and Barry, must carry [print version: No room for sentimentality in this tragedy, 13 September 2014, p. S22]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport), archived from the original on 21 Oct 2014:
   • The king before he would take his voyage, sent the Erle of Huntyngdon to ſerche and ſcowre the Seas, leaſt any Frenchmen lyeng in wayte for him might attrap him sodeinly, or he had any knowledge of their ſetting forward. 1569, Richard Grafton, “Henrye the Fift”, in A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande […], volume II, London: […] Henry Denham, […], for Richarde Tottle and Humffrey Toye, →OCLC, page 464:

Forms

Antonyms

unsuddenly

Deriveds

suddenliness

Synonyms

all of a sudden

Translations (210)

ja 突然 (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sv rätt som det var (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · fa ناگهان (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · kk аңдаусызда (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ne एक्कासि (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · bg ненаде́йно (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sv plötsligen (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · uk несподівано (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sv tvär- (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sa सपदि (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · yi פּלוצלינג (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sl naênkrat (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ar فَجْأَةً (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · haw honua (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · fi äkkiä (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · uk раптово (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · fr tout d'un coup (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gun xapy'a (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · is snögglega (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gl de socato (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gd gu grad (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · cop ⲉⲝⲁⲡⲉⲓⲛⲁ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · he פתאום (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · et äkki (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · hi अचानक (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · haw poni (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ltg pieški (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · vi chợt (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · de urplötzlich (emph.) (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sq papritmas (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · haw aia hoʻi (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ht sibitman (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gez ግብተ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · vi đột ngột (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sv med ens (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ovd rett sos eð war (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · nl plotseling (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gd gu h-obann (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · syc ܡܢ ܫܠܝܐ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · got 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌺𐍃 (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · yue 突然間 /突然间 (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · is hastarlega (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ca tot d'una (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ka უცბად (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · mr अचानक (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ga de gheit (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ang fǣrlīċe (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sq papritur (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · mn гэнэт (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ltg ūmai (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · mnc ᡤᠠᡳᡨᠠᡳ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · mk одеднаш (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · cop ϩⲛⲟⲩϣⲡⲉ ⲛϣⲱⲡ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ka მოულოდნელად (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · haw hikiwawe (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · cs náhle (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · pl raptem (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · la repente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · pt subitamente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ru скоропостижно (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · haw ʻemo ʻole (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · mt f’daqqa waħda (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gl subitamente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ka ანაზდად (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ur اچانک (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · tr birden (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · xcl յանկարծուստ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · lv pēkšņi (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ta திடீரென்று (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · io subite (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · eo subite (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · nl plots (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · cop ⲉⲝⲁⲡⲓⲛⲁ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sc improntùitu (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · my ရုတ်တရက် (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ro deodată (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · oge მეყჳსეულად (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · de plötzlich (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ba ҡапыл (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · vi thình lình (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ro brusc (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · nen kedin (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · kk кенет (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · cmn 突然 (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · kix thǖlīk (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · th จู่ๆ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · pl z nagła (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · fr soudainement (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ovd rett sos eð ir (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · cop ϩⲛⲟⲩϣⲱⲡ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · xcl յանկարծ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · cic himó̠nali' (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · pl nagle (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · txb istak (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sa सहसा (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · tr aniden (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gl de súpeto (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · kk кенеттен (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ovd rett wen eð ir (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sm fa'afuase'i (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ru внеза́пно (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · is brátt (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · el ξαφνικά (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · pdt onverhofs (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ca sobtadament (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · bn হঠাৎ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · tr gafleten (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ml പെട്ടെന്ന് (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ka უეცრად (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · hi सहसा (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sip ཏོག་གི (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · bg внеза́пно (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ia subito (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · pl znienacka (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · es repentinamente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ga go tobann (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ovd twer- (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · hu egyszer csak (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · la derepente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ro subit (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · hi एकाएक (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · vi bỗng (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · fi yhtäkkiä (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sc setzi (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · nl ineens (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sv plötsligt (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · yue 突然 (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ko 갑자기 (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ovd plötsli (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ru неожи́данно (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · xcl յանկարծակի (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · id tiba-tiba (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · bo ཧོབ་ཏེ་ཁ་ལ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · az birdən-birə (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · it improvvisamente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · de unversehens (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · es súbitamente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sw ghafula (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · km ភ្លាមនោះ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · is skyndilega (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ca de sobte (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ovd just dǫ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gez ፍጡነ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sk zrazu (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · mk наеднаш (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · to fakatuʻupakē (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · tr birdenbire (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · km ស្រាប់តែ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · oge მუნქუეს (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · te అకస్మాత్తుగా (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ko 돌연 (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · kw distowgh (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gez ድንቀተ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · hu hirtelen (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · az birdən (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ca de cop i volta (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · yi אויףֿ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · mi whakarere (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · my ဆိုးခနဲဆတ်ခနဲ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · es subitáneamente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · af skielik (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ur ناگہاں (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · pt de repente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · hy հանկարծ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gez በፍጡን (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · th อยู่ดีๆ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · nb plutselig (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · la subito (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · hi अनायास (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ms tiba-tiba (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · oge მეყსეულად (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · syl ꠀꠈꠔꠣ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · txb ramer (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ckb لەپڕ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · az qəflətən (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · uk знена́цька (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · id mendadak (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ro instantaneu (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · lt staiga (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sq befas (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gez ውእተ ፡ ጊዜ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · th อยู่ๆ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · da pludseligt (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · cs najednou (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gez በምዕር (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · cy yn sydyn (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ovd rett wen eð war (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ml പെട്ടന്ന് (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · nl plotsklaps (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ru вдруг (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · be ра́птам (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ba кинәт (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · syc ܡܢ ܫܠܝ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · az qəfildən (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · kw a-dhesempis (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sc indùna (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ovd brå- (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · yi מיט אַ מאָל (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · ne अचानक (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · nl pardoes (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · yue 一吓 (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · gez ይእተ ፡ ጊዜ (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · grc ἄφνω (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · fro soudainnemant (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · it all'improvviso (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · sc tottindunu (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · pt repentinamente (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · nb med ett (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · hy հանկարծակի (happening quickly and with little or no warning) · tr ansızın (happening quickly and with little or no warning)