What does "sudden" mean?
Sudden: 2. Hastly prepared or employed; quick; rapid. Never was such a sudden scholar made. Shak. The apples of Asphaltis, appearing goodly to the sudden eye. Milton.
Additional senses
- 2.Hasty; violent; rash; precipitate. [Obs.] Shak. -- Sud"den*ly, adv. -- Sud"den*ness, n.
- 3.Suddenly; unexpectedly. [R.] Herbs of every leaf that sudden flowered. Milton.
- 4.An unexpected occurrence; a surprise. All of a sudden, On a sudden, Of a sudden, sooner than was expected; without the usual preparation; suddenly. How art thou lost! how on a sudden lost! Milton. He withdrew his opposition all of a sudden. Thackeray.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00