Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Sudden; abrupt: Happening or done quickly and without warning, often causing surprise.
   • Unexpected: Not anticipated or foreseen.

2. Adverb:

   • Suddenly; abruptly: In a sudden and unexpected manner.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Sự ra đi của ông ấy thật đột ngột. (His departure was very sudden.)
  • Đó là một sự thay đổi đột ngột trong kế hoạch. (That was an abrupt change in the plan.)

• Adverb:

  • Cơn mưa đến đột ngột. (The rain came suddenly.)
  • Anh ấy đột ngột dừng lại. (He stopped abruptly.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to describe events, changes, or actions that lack any gradual transition or prior indication.
  • Nền kinh tế suy thoái một cách đột ngột. (The economy declined in an abrupt manner.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bất ngờ (adj): Unexpected, surprising. While similar, "bất ngờ" often emphasizes the element of surprise more than the speed of the event.
• Thình lình (adv): Suddenly, all of a sudden. A close synonym often used in spoken language.

Synonyms

• Sudden
• Abrupt
• Unexpected

Antonyms

• Từ từ (adv): Slowly, gradually.
• Dần dần (adv): Gradually, little by little.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Đột ngột như trời giáng: As sudden as a bolt from the blue; used to emphasize something extremely sudden and shocking.
  • Tin đó đột ngột như trời giáng với cả gia đình. (That news hit the family like a bolt from the blue.)

1. Suddenly, unexpectedly, out of the blue
   • Tin đến đột ngột
     The news came unexpectedly
   • Anh ta thay đổi ý kiến đột ngột
     His change of mind came out of the blue