abruptly
Americanadverb
-
without warning; suddenly or unexpectedly.
Not noticing that the car in front of him had stopped abruptly, he rear-ended it.
-
in few words and without using any polite formulas; brusquely.
My 14-year-old son was calling; as soon as I picked up, he asked abruptly, “How long till you get home?”
-
steeply; sharply.
At one end, the meadow flowed into a large valley; at the other, it dropped off abruptly in a cliff.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abruptly
Explanation
If the weather changes abruptly, from bright and sunny to pouring down rain, you're going to get wet. When something happens abruptly, it is sudden and unexpected. Almost anything can change abruptly, and it will always take you by surprise, whether it's the movement of a car, the mood of a movie, or the behavior of your dog. If you've ever had a conversation with someone who spoke to you abruptly, you may have found them a little rude. A physical attribute can also be described as abrupt, like when the edge of a rocky cliff drops abruptly to the ocean.
Vocabulary lists containing abruptly
A Long Walk to Water
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Number the Stars
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the performers billed for Indianapolis, country music singer Thomas Rhett and Disco Lines, a DJ, were abruptly scratched.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Then, the festival was abruptly canceled due to “last-minute public safety and municipal costs.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Manus' trajectory shifted abruptly in mid-2025, when the firm laid off dozens of staff in Beijing and Wuhan and relocated core personnel to Singapore.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Now I live in Gurugram, where footpaths vanish into rubble and garbage, are abruptly blocked by parked vehicles or construction, or sit uncomfortably high above the road.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Koffi was massaging her temples, still trying to make sense of the words, when abruptly, she noticed something.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
