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

The attorney general’s office began receiving dozens of complaints from former customers of American Log Homes in January after the business abruptly shuttered. — Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2026

Harrison took the mound to warm up for the sixth, but abruptly left before the inning began. — CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

The federal government abruptly ended a system that processed claims for medical care provided to detainees from immigration centers. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Then, when a reporter sent by OutKick attempted to ask a question about Cunningham to players who were available, Aliyah Boston and Makayla Timpson, both players fled the podium as the news conference was abruptly ended right there. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abruptly

• corruptly