abrupt
[uh-bruhpt]
- sudden or unexpected: an abrupt departure.
- curt or brusque in speech, manner, etc.: an abrupt reply.
- terminating or changing suddenly: an abrupt turn in a road.
- having many sudden changes from one subject to another; lacking in continuity or smoothness: an abrupt writing style.
- steep; precipitous: an abrupt descent.
- Botany. truncate(def 4).
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Origin of abrupt
1575–85; < Latin abruptus broken off (past participle of abrumpere), equivalent to ab- ab- + -rup- break + -tus past participle suffix
Synonyms
See more synonyms for abrupt on Thesaurus.comAntonyms
1, 3. gradual. 2. deliberate; patient, courteous.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for abrupt
Contemporary Examples
In May 2009, however, the president had an abrupt change of heart.
Fans felt cheated by the abrupt end of a marriage seasons in the making (to Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery).
Biologist Mattson is alarmed by the abrupt 2008 rise in grizzly mortality from conflicts both with livestock and hunters.
King declined to elaborate on what that “immediate and abrupt action” would be, saying only that he had “a few ideas.”
The abrupt increase that night in U.S. sorties also stopped the town falling.
Historical Examples
The interrogation came with an abrupt force that cried of new suspicions.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
The Colonel, who could not hear the remark, wondered at the abrupt pause in the game.
The Little ColonelAnnie Fellows Johnston
Her abrupt entry into the room, while he was in bed, startled him.
The Foolish LoversSt. John G. Ervine
I must be abrupt; for I am so circumstanced, that I have not a moment's time to spare.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
He was roused from this self-commune by an abrupt exclamation from his companion.
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
abrupt
- sudden; unexpected
- brusque or brief in speech, manner, etc; curt
- (of a style of writing or speaking) making sharp transitions from one subject to another; disconnected
- precipitous; steep
- botany shaped as though a part has been cut off; truncate
- geology (of strata) cropping out suddenly
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin abruptus broken off, from ab- 1 + rumpere to break
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for abrupt
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper