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

This happens with other substances, too – as any regular coffee drinker who has tried abruptly quitting knows. — Andrew McLean, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026

Picard ordered the Stargazer to charge the enemy ship at warp speed (meaning faster than light), then stop abruptly and fire. — Matt Von Hippel, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026

In their rematch, McKee was dogged by questions about his administration’s work to replace a critical bridge in the state capital that was abruptly closed due to safety problems in 2023. — Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026

Kelly Rogers abruptly announced her resignation as the leader of the Education Department's special education office after less than four months in the position. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abruptly

• corruptly