abrupt

play

adjective \ə-ˈbrəpt\

Definition of abrupt

1a : characterized by or involving action or change without preparation or warning : sudden and unexpected came to an abrupt stop an abrupt turn an abrupt decision to retireb : rudely or unceremoniously curt She has an abrupt manner. an abrupt replyc : lacking smoothness or continuity an abrupt transition
2 : giving the impression of being cut or broken off; especially : involving a sudden steep rise or drop abrupt hills a high abrupt bank bounded the stream

abruptly

play \ə-ˈbrəp(t)-lē\ adverb ended the meeting abruptly

abruptness

play \ə-ˈbrəp(t)-nəs\ noun

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Examples of abrupt in a Sentence

There was an abrupt change in the weather.
The road came to an abrupt end.
The storm caused an abrupt power failure.
She has an abrupt manner.

Recent Examples of abrupt from the Web

After the abrupt death of her father in March to aortic dissection, a form of an heart attack, 44-year-old Wendy Bedsole and her family is in more grief.

— prescotte stokes iii, AL.com, "Mobile woman pleads with suspects to return family's stolen heirlooms," 19 July 2017
The abrupt move left thousands of women who had already ordered or were planning to order their wedding dresses from the store in shock, frustrated, and unsure of what would happen to their dream dresses.

— maggie burch, Glamour, "Women Are Offering Their Own Wedding Dresses to Brides Affected by Alfred Angelo's Closure," 16 July 2017
But after the United States’ abrupt withdrawal of troops in 2011, American constancy is still in question here — a broad failure of American foreign policy, with responsibility shared across three administrations.

— tim arango, New York Times, "Iran Dominates in Iraq After U.S. ‘Handed the Country Over’," 15 July 2017
The biggest scandal in the bank’s history led to the abrupt retirement of its CEO, John Stumpf.

— ken sweet, The Seattle Times, "Judge gives preliminary approval to Wells Fargo settlement," 10 July 2017
Witnesses in Fordham Heights said the violence had brought an abrupt end to what had been a leisurely holiday evening, with dancing and fireworks.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Police officer shot and killed in ‘unprovoked attack’ in New York City," 5 July 2017
D Matt Hedges, FC Dallas The 2016 MLS Defender of the Year had a chance to showcase his skills to Arena at the January camp, but a knee injury brought the opportunity to an abrupt end.

— brian straus, SI.com, "From Gold Cup to World Cup? Summer stakes are high for these five USMNT players," 30 June 2017
When traffic was slowing, Brumpton came to an abrupt stop.

— ruth brown, idahostatesman, "Motorcyclist injured on Interstate 84 at Cole Road," 29 June 2017
The downward kink in the rearmost side windows that lets little kids see outside is still there, but it’s been softened for a less abrupt look.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Review: 2018 Honda Odyssey is a kid hauler with tricks and treats," 28 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abrupt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

We’ll break it to you gently: abrupt derives from abruptus, the past participle of the Latin verb abrumpere, meaning "to break off." Abrumpere combines the prefix ab- with rumpere, which means "break" and which forms the basis for several other words in English that suggest a kind of breaking, such as interrupt, rupture, and bankrupt. Whether being used to describe a style of speaking that seems rudely short (as in "gave an abrupt answer"), something with a severe rise or drop ("abrupt climate change"), or something that seems rash and unprecipitated ("made the abrupt decision to quit college"), abrupt, which first appeared in English in the 16th century, implies a kind of jarring unexpectedness that catches people off guard.

Origin and Etymology of abrupt

borrowed from Latin abruptus “steep, sheer, broken or cut off too short,” from past participle of abrumpere “to break, rupture, break off short,” from ab- ab- + rumpere “to cause to break or burst,” going back to Indo-European *ru-n-p-, nasal present formation from the base *reu̯p- “break, tear” — more at reave

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1565

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of abrupt

precipitate, headlong, abrupt, impetuous, sudden mean showing undue haste or unexpectedness. precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action. the army's precipitate withdrawal headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought. a headlong flight from arrest abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony. an abrupt refusal impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness. an impetuous lover proposing marriage sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action. flew into a sudden rage

steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular. steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult. a steep hill a steep dive abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level. a beach with an abrupt drop-off precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical. the river winds through a precipitous gorge sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse. sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers