Gradual
Gradual adjective - Proceeding or changing by steps or degrees.
Usage example: a gradual drop in gas prices will take place over the next several months
Sudden
Sudden adjective - Happening without warning or in a short space of time.
Usage example: a sudden cure
Nearby Words: suddenly, suddenness
Both words in one sentence
- Summary: The death of Neil Mc Cormick was gradual, not sudden, and not permanent by any means.
Source: Fanfic Recs / Inception -
In real life, a person who falls into very deep water and enters it in a dive may fare better than hitting ground because they are making a gradual rather than a sudden stop.
Source: Soft Water - In another type, the breakdown won't be one, sudden explosion, but a gradual progression of smaller, gradually increasing breakdowns happening over the course of the story.
Source: Villainous Breakdown
Cite this Source
Sudden and Gradual. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/gradual/sudden
Gradual & Sudden. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/gradual/sudden>.
Sudden or Gradual. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/gradual/sudden.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "gradual" and "sudden" have occurred on timeline