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.
-
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.
The 26-year-old country singer was scheduled to perform at the resort May 27 and 30 but abruptly canceled the show the day of the performance.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026
"The net effect of this order is that we must abruptly disable Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all our customers to ensure compliance," it said.
From Barron's • Jun. 13, 2026
The Exxon executive threatened to fire him if he was ever injured in a bike race again, and then abruptly hung up, according to an account in “Private Empire.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
US President Donald Trump abruptly walked out of an interview with NBC after being repeatedly challenged on several claims by the show's presenter Kristen Welker.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
The one time he actually talked to them, he rushed off abruptly.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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.
