abrupt

[ uh-bruhpt ]

adjective

1. sudden or unexpected:

   an abrupt departure.

   Synonyms: sharp, quick

   Antonyms: gradual

2. curt or brusque in speech, manner, etc.:

   an abrupt reply.

   Synonyms: blunt, hasty, hurried, short

   Antonyms: courteous, patient, deliberate

3. terminating or changing suddenly:

   an abrupt turn in a road.

   Synonyms: sharp, quick

   Antonyms: gradual

4. having many sudden changes from one subject to another; lacking in continuity or smoothness:

   an abrupt writing style.

   Synonyms: uneven, broken, discontinuous

5. steep; precipitous:

   an abrupt descent.

6. Botany. truncate ( def 4 ).

abrupt

/ əˈbrʌpt /

adjective

1. sudden; unexpected
2. brusque or brief in speech, manner, etc; curt
3. (of a style of writing or speaking) making sharp transitions from one subject to another; disconnected
4. precipitous; steep
5. botany shaped as though a part has been cut off; truncate
6. geology (of strata) cropping out suddenly

Derived Forms

• abˈruptly, adverb
• abˈruptness, noun

Other Words From

• ab·rupt·ly adverb
• ab·rupt·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of abrupt¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin abruptus “broken off”(past participle of abrumpere ), equivalent to ab- ab- + -rup- “break” + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of abrupt¹

C16: from Latin abruptus broken off, from ab- ¹+ rumpere to break

Synonym Study

See sudden.

Example Sentences

In May 2009, however, the president had an abrupt change of heart.

From The Daily Beast

Fans felt cheated by the abrupt end of a marriage seasons in the making (to Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery).

From The Daily Beast

Biologist Mattson is alarmed by the abrupt 2008 rise in grizzly mortality from conflicts both with livestock and hunters.

From The Daily Beast

King declined to elaborate on what that “immediate and abrupt action” would be, saying only that he had “a few ideas.”

From The Daily Beast

The abrupt increase that night in U.S. sorties also stopped the town falling.

From The Daily Beast

There was no vivacity in his putty-coloured features, but there were promptitude and decision in every abrupt gesture.

From Project Gutenberg

The intricacies and abrupt turns in the road separated him from his immediate followers.

From Project Gutenberg

She had begun to speak with an abrupt and almost fierce nervous irritation, but she recovered herself immediately.

From Project Gutenberg

Some of his violins possess a distinguishing mark in a rather abrupt rise in the centre.

From Project Gutenberg

The speech came to an abrupt end when, losing her balance, she fell to the ground, and lay there in drunken contentment.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• hasty
• hurried
• precipitous
• quick
• sudden
• surprising
• unanticipated
• unexpected
• unforeseen