1
as in abruptly
with great suddenness
the bus stopped suddenly, and somebody's lunch landed in the aisle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of suddenly
Tamerlan and the owner are both suddenly on edge.
—
Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Depth-chart impact The Ravens’ edge-rush room suddenly looks pretty crowded.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
After the Ducks were swept by San Jose in the first round in 2018, however, the playoffs suddenly were for other teams.
—Todd Harmonson, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
The youth suddenly drops to the ground as the crowd scatters, the video shows.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Sensations that were previously mild can suddenly feel extreme.
—Md Published, Verywell Health, 25 Apr. 2026
Leaning hard into progressive causes and issues, Steyer is polling close to suddenly surging former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
In the summer of 2024, still being treated to keep his cancer at bay, Andrej had suddenly become somewhat delirious, requiring hospital admission to rule out the possibility of infection or, worse, of the cancer having spread to his brain.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Housing gets a little tighter, grocery bills inch up, transportation changes, and suddenly there is a new line item for something like soccer or school supplies that did not exist a year ago.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Depth-chart impact The Ravens’ edge-rush room suddenly looks pretty crowded.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
After the Ducks were swept by San Jose in the first round in 2018, however, the playoffs suddenly were for other teams.
—Todd Harmonson, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
The youth suddenly drops to the ground as the crowd scatters, the video shows.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Sensations that were previously mild can suddenly feel extreme.
—Md Published, Verywell Health, 25 Apr. 2026
Leaning hard into progressive causes and issues, Steyer is polling close to suddenly surging former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
In the summer of 2024, still being treated to keep his cancer at bay, Andrej had suddenly become somewhat delirious, requiring hospital admission to rule out the possibility of infection or, worse, of the cancer having spread to his brain.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Housing gets a little tighter, grocery bills inch up, transportation changes, and suddenly there is a new line item for something like soccer or school supplies that did not exist a year ago.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suddenly
Adverb
-
Gunfire at the Washington Hilton Saturday night abruptly halted the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner.—
Charles Forelle,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
In her last year of college, my now-37-year-old daughter abruptly came out as a lesbian.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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There are mud pools from Yellowstone National Park that have a squeamish gurgle, and hearing them amid a crackling bonfire feels unexpectedly harmonious, even plausible.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The film follows two former lovers (Melchior and Mylchreest) who unexpectedly reunite on a Christmas night in Porto.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suddenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suddenly. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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