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

An extended public comment session on the Grayslake data center was abruptly canceled just a day before it was scheduled at the University Center of Lake County, with the venue pointing to safety concerns over social media posts. — Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

Evans had 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons to open his career and scored 24 touchdowns over 2023-2024 before a broken collarbone/concussion ended his year abruptly in 2025. — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

In 2024, the company wrapped a probe after auditor EY abruptly resigned mid-audit, concluding there was no evidence of fraud or misconduct. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

The call ends abruptly, but the responder sends police officers to the woman’s location. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abruptly

• corruptly