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

One of the guys actually threatened the other for correcting his kids and left abruptly with the family on the last day. — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026

The Bowl shows will mark the first band’s first appearances after abruptly retiring in 2024 after lead singer Steven Tyler sustained an injury to his larynx three shows into their final tour in 2023 that was not expected to fully heal. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

After an abruptly disappointing finish for the Lynx in the WNBA playoffs, the smooth-shooting and defensively tough forward the team has tried to build a title contender around is uncertain to return. — CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

An all-electric sedan was supposed to be next, but a year from the showroom, it was abruptly canceled, leaving the automaker with nothing to sell as old models like the F-Pace ceased production. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abruptly

• corruptly