abruptly

adverb

abrupt·​ly ə-ˈbrəp(t)-lē How to pronounce abruptly (audio)
: in an abrupt manner : in a sudden and unexpected way
He left abruptly.
The car swerved abruptly onto the exit ramp.
Her career as a psychologist ended abruptly several years ago when a hacker broke into some of her private client files and made them public …Michael Logan
The small, rocky Anacapa Island [California] has steep cliffs which rise abruptly from the ocean on almost every side …David J. Rutherford

Examples of abruptly in a Sentence

the car in front stopped abruptly, and we almost hit it
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Barry Lian, a 24-year-old master’s degree graduate from southeastern China who spent three years studying in the US, had dreams of working on Wall Street – until his student visa was abruptly revoked last July. Joyce Jiang, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025 The shocking assassination of the Turning Point USA co-founder abruptly ended the event as thousands ran in panic and left the nation reeling. Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2025 Nestlé’s code of conduct prohibits failing to disclose a relationship with a direct report, which is what Nestlé said was the official reason Freixe was abruptly let go, but the company has not confirmed these latest allegations of how Freixe’s affairs were exposed. Chloe Sorvino, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 Trump abruptly fired Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erika McEntarfer in August, just hours after BLS released initial employment data for July that included two months' of downward revisions to job growth data from earlier in the year. Erin Doherty, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for abruptly

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abruptly was in 1565

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abruptly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abruptly. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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