Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Sudden

Sudden , adjective

[Old English sodian, sodein, Old French sodain, sudain, French soudain, Latin subitaneus, from subitus sudden, that has come unexpectedly, past participle of subire to come on, to steal upon; sub under, secretly + ire to go. See Issue, and compare Subitaneous.]

1.
Happening without previous notice or with very brief notice; coming unexpectedly, or without the common preparation; immediate; instant; speedy.
O sudden wo! — Chaucer
For fear of sudden death. — Shakespeare
Sudden fear troubleth thee. — Job xxii. 10
2.
Hastly prepared or employed; quick; rapid.
Never was such a sudden scholar made. — Shakespeare
The apples of Asphaltis, appearing goodly to the sudden eye. — Milton
3.
Hasty; violent; rash; precipitate. [Obsolete] — Shakespeare

Sudden , adverb

Suddenly; unexpectedly. [Rare]
Herbs of every leaf that sudden flowered. — Milton

Sudden , noun

An unexpected occurrence; a surprise.
How art thou lost! how on a sudden lost! — Milton
He withdrew his opposition all of a sudden. — Thackeray
Collocations (1)
All of a sudden or On a sudden or Of a sudden , sooner than was expected; without the usual preparation; suddenly.