abruptly
Americanadverb
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without warning; suddenly or unexpectedly.
Not noticing that the car in front of him had stopped abruptly, he rear-ended it.
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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?”
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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.
Los Angeles police officers were patrolling the park around 10: 20 p.m. on May 5 when they spotted Johnson abruptly conduct a U-turn in front of them, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
James Roscoe, the deputy to Britain's ambassador in Washington, has abruptly left his post.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
While Wall Street appears to be abruptly changing course, the current enthusiasm isn’t without precedent.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
These maze domains can change abruptly as temperatures rise or fall, influencing how energy is lost in the material.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
For most of the journey, the ground has been more sand than rock, but then, abruptly, the ground beneath turns rougher.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
