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
Michael LoganThe small, rocky Anacapa Island [California] has steep cliffs which rise abruptly from the ocean on almost every side …—David J. Rutherford
David J. RutherfordExamples of abruptly in a Sentence
the car in front stopped abruptly, and we almost hit it
Recent Examples on the Web
After Al Qaeda and then Saddam Hussein abruptly emerged as incarnations of a new totalitarianism, Michael Ignatieff and Niall Ferguson, among many others, impatiently urged the United States to assume its imperial obligations and impose democracy, human rights, and free trade through war.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Elphaba is furious and unleashes her powers — freeing the animals and causing a stampede, which ends the wedding festivities abruptly.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025
Temperatures drop abruptly on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and that could be our first snow in Denver.
—Dayle Cedars, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
Judge steps down, says pageant is rigged Two judges abruptly stepped down from the competition days before the winner was crowned, with one accusing the pageant of being rigged.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abruptly
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Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Elphaba is furious and unleashes her powers — freeing the animals and causing a stampede, which ends the wedding festivities abruptly.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025
Temperatures drop abruptly on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and that could be our first snow in Denver.
—Dayle Cedars, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
Judge steps down, says pageant is rigged Two judges abruptly stepped down from the competition days before the winner was crowned, with one accusing the pageant of being rigged.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abruptly
Cite this Entry
“Abruptly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abruptly. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
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