Gradual and Sudden

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 is an antonym for gradual in topics: steady, evenly.

Nearby Words: graduate, gradually, gradation, graduation, gradualism

Sudden

Sudden adjective - Happening without warning or in a short space of time.
Usage example: a sudden cure

Gradual is an antonym for sudden in unexpected topic.

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.
  • Soft Water 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.
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