abruptly

adverb

abrupt·​ly ə-ˈbrəp(t)-lē 

: 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

Synonyms of abruptly

• suddenly

Examples of abruptly in a Sentence

the car in front stopped abruptly, and we almost hit it

Recent Examples on the Web

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield said she had been invited to a two-country event Friday before things abruptly changed. — ABC News, 24 July 2026

The video abruptly cut off about 10 minutes later when the recording device was apparently unplugged. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026

Key Background The White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April ended abruptly after a gunman stormed a security checkpoint and exchanged fire with Secret Service agents. — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

The show was high stakes for all involved — Yellowstone ended abruptly following disagreements between Kevin Costner and Sheridan, so Dutton Ranch was expected to pick up the mantle. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abruptly

• corruptly