abruptly

American  

[uh-bruhpt-lee] / əˈbrʌpt li /

adverb

1. without warning; suddenly or unexpectedly.

   Not noticing that the car in front of him had stopped abruptly, he rear-ended it.

2. 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?”

3. steeply; sharply.

   At one end, the meadow flowed into a large valley; at the other, it dropped off abruptly in a cliff.

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Other Word Forms

• unabruptly adverb

Etymology

Origin of abruptly

abrupt ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Despite wide public interest, the program quietly and abruptly ended last year — a victim, in some ways, of its own success.

From Los Angeles Times

Two years into his government, and growing increasingly frustrated with what he said were the central bank’s unattainable inflation targets, he abruptly reset inflation targets during a press conference in December 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal

After the light was gone, Aunt Pretty stood up and gave me a strange look, then abruptly went inside the house without a word.

From Literature

"Well, I gotta go," he said abruptly, when he realized where they were.

From Literature

The sputtering stopped abruptly as the other fellow shook him off.

From Literature

Related Words

• all of a sudden
• precipitously
• suddenly
• unexpectedly