1
as in abruptly
with great suddenness
the bus stopped suddenly, and somebody's lunch landed in the aisle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unexpectedly
without warning
suddenly, something fell out of the sky and landed in the field a few feet away
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suddenly
What had been absurdly labeled impossible suddenly was proven to be very doable.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Celsius, as the Washington Examiner previously reported, is the fuel that keeps the Capitol engine running, so staffers are understandably up in arms as the cost of a can has suddenly spiked by a whopping 10 cents to now cost $4.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
Actually, Fieri and his sons started out on the red carpet, then got side-tracked by former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski suddenly turning up in the hall.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
The man, who was accompanied by a friend, went night surfing at Haskell’s Beach in Goleta when he was suddenly pulled into the water.
—Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Snow squalls can come up on drivers suddenly and can lead to near-zero visibility within minutes.
—Bill Kelly, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Right around Harbor Boulevard, traffic suddenly slowed to an almost stop due to a large number of emergency-response vehicles.
—Jim Radcliffe, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
The victim’s child had just gotten on the bus when Horne suddenly shoved the Muslim mom.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Don’t suddenly stop taking statins on your own.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Celsius, as the Washington Examiner previously reported, is the fuel that keeps the Capitol engine running, so staffers are understandably up in arms as the cost of a can has suddenly spiked by a whopping 10 cents to now cost $4.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
Actually, Fieri and his sons started out on the red carpet, then got side-tracked by former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski suddenly turning up in the hall.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
The man, who was accompanied by a friend, went night surfing at Haskell’s Beach in Goleta when he was suddenly pulled into the water.
—Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Snow squalls can come up on drivers suddenly and can lead to near-zero visibility within minutes.
—Bill Kelly, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Right around Harbor Boulevard, traffic suddenly slowed to an almost stop due to a large number of emergency-response vehicles.
—Jim Radcliffe, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
The victim’s child had just gotten on the bus when Horne suddenly shoved the Muslim mom.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Don’t suddenly stop taking statins on your own.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suddenly
Adverb
-
McMullen left the company abruptly following an internal ethics investigation.—
Alexander Coolidge,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Feb. 2026
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One of the most exciting playoff games in recent memory — a quarterback duel between Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes — ended abruptly in a 42-36 Chiefs win when Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce on an eight-yard touchdown pass.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Bodyman centers on a violent power struggle that unfolds during a family Christmas gathering after an eccentric billionaire unexpectedly transfers control of his private military company to his longtime bodyguard, played by Jonas, instead of to his adult children.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Feb. 2026
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What happened next is what makes the Olympics so unexpectedly compelling.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suddenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suddenly. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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