suddenly

Etymology

From Middle English sodenly, sodeynly, sodeinliche, sodaynlyche; equivalent to sudden + -ly.

adv

1. Happening quickly and with little or no warning; in a sudden manner.
   Suddenly, the heavens opened and we all got drenched.
   But ever since the concept of "hamartia" recurred through Aristotle's Poetics, in an attempt to describe man's ingrained iniquity, our impulse has been to identify a telling defect in those brought suddenly and dramatically low. 21 October 2014, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities: Bladerunner's punishment for killing Reeva Steenkamp is but a frippery when set against the burden that her bereft parents, June and Barry, must carry [print version: No room for sentimentality in this tragedy, 13 September 2014, p. S22]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport)