suddenly

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
suddenly
    adv 1: happening unexpectedly; "suddenly she felt a sharp pain
           in her side" [syn: {suddenly}, {all of a sudden}, {of a
           sudden}]
    2: quickly and without warning; "he stopped suddenly" [syn:
       {abruptly}, {suddenly}, {short}, {dead}]
    3: on impulse; without premeditation; "he decided to go to
       Chicago on the spur of the moment"; "he made up his mind
       suddenly" [syn: {on the spur of the moment}, {suddenly}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Sudden \Sud"den\, a. [OE. sodian, sodein, OF. sodain, sudain, F.
   soudain, L. subitaneus, fr. subitus sudden, that has come
   unexpectedly, p. p. of subire to come on, to steal upon; sub
   under, secretly + ire to go. See {Issue}, and cf.
   {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." --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

            Sudden fear troubleth thee.           --Job xxii.
                                                  10.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Hastly prepared or employed; quick; rapid.
      [1913 Webster]

            Never was such a sudden scholar made. --Shak.
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            The apples of Asphaltis, appearing goodly to the
            sudden eye.                           --Milton.
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   3. Hasty; violent; rash; precipitate. [Obs.] --Shak.
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   Syn: Unexpected; unusual; abrupt; unlooked-for.
        [1913 Webster] -- {Sud"den*ly}, adv. -- {Sud"den*ness},
        n.
        [1913 Webster]
    
from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
58 Moby Thesaurus words for "suddenly":
      a corps perdu, aback, abruptly, all at once, bang, by surprise,
      dash, feverishly, fleetingly, forthwith, hastily, head over heels,
      headfirst, headforemost, headlong, heels over head, hurriedly,
      impetuously, implausibly, improbably, impulsively, in a trice,
      instantaneously, instantly, like a flash, like a thunderbolt,
      momentarily, of a sudden, on short notice, plop, plump, plunk, pop,
      precipitantly, precipitately, precipitously, quickly, rapidly,
      rashly, recklessly, sharp, short, slap, slap-bang, smack, speedily,
      startlingly, sudden, surprisingly, swiftly, unanticipatedly,
      unaware, unawares, unexpectedly, unforeseeably, unpredictably,
      without notice, without warning

    

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