Entry Word: abrupt

Function: adjective

Meaning: 1 being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner <the policemanʼs abrupt manner discouraged me from trying to claim that I hadnʼt seen the red light> — see blunt 1
2 having an incline approaching the perpendicular <the gentle, rolling hills gradually give way to high mountains with abrupt sides> — see steep 1