# sudden

/ˈsədən/ (US) · /sˈʌdən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sudden
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. happening quickly

adjective · CEFR B1

happening or done quickly and without warning.

For teachers: occurring, arriving, or performed unexpectedly and without prior notice.

- A sudden rain shower caught the hikers without their jackets.
- The sudden resignation of the chief executive left the board of directors scrambling to find a suitable interim replacement before the markets opened.

### 2. all of a sudden

adverb · CEFR B1

used in the phrase 'all of a sudden' to mean 'suddenly'.

For teachers: functioning as an adverbial component, almost exclusively within the idiomatic prepositional phrase 'all of a sudden'.

- All of a sudden, the lights went out and the room was dark.
- The engine began to make a rhythmic clicking sound and then, all of a sudden, the entire vehicle shuddered and came to a halt.

### 3. literary suddenly

adverb · CEFR C2 · Literary

a poetic way to say 'suddenly'.

For teachers: used as a flat adverb in poetic or highly literary contexts to denote an abrupt occurrence.

- Sudden, the wind changed and the sails began to flap.
- Sudden there came a tapping, as of some one gently rapping at my chamber door.

### 4. an unexpected event

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

a surprise or something that happens without warning.

For teachers: an unexpected or abrupt occurrence; now largely restricted to the fixed phrase 'on a sudden'.

- The news came upon them on a sudden.
- The arrival of the messenger on a sudden threw the entire household into a state of frantic preparation.

## Examples

- The weather changed after a sudden storm.
- The driver had to make a sudden stop when a cat ran into the middle of the road.
- The sudden departure of the CEO left the board of directors scrambling to find a suitable replacement before the quarterly earnings call.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.