abruptly

adverb

abrupt·​ly ə-ˈbrəp(t)-lē How to pronounce abruptly (audio)
Synonyms of abruptly
: 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

Examples of abruptly in a Sentence

the car in front stopped abruptly, and we almost hit it
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Nearly three years after their arrests, prosecutors abruptly brought Bryant into their picture of the killing. Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026 Gunfire at the Washington Hilton Saturday night abruptly halted the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Charles Forelle, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026 Hours earlier, longtime manager Alex Cora and a large chunk of his coaching staff had been abruptly fired, and now the players were left trying to process everything and figure out what would come next. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026 After the Cowles Center, one of the Twin Cities’ only dance-specific theater spaces, closed abruptly in 2024, a town hall was convened to assess the state of the local dance scene. Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for abruptly

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abruptly was in 1565

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abruptly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abruptly. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

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