1
as in blunt
being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner
the policeman's abrupt manner discouraged me from trying to claim that I hadn't seen the red light
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in steep
having an incline approaching the perpendicular
the gentle, rolling hills gradually give way to high mountains with abrupt sides
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sudden
not expected
his abrupt reappearance seems to have caught everyone off guard
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abrupt
Sargent, a Kroger board member and former Staples CEO, took the helm at the supermarket giant after the abrupt resignation of Rodney McMullen, who quit March 3, following an internal ethics investigation.
—
Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The Trump administration's abrupt and steep cuts to foreign aid have halted most of USAID's programs.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 1 July 2025
This combined with the abrupt elimination of the investment tax credit and electricity production tax credit after 2027 threatens to eliminate 300 gigawatts of wind and solar projects over the next 10 years, which is equivalent to about $450 billion worth of infrastructure investment, Hensley said.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 30 June 2025
Trump’s abrupt withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 led to the predictable result: Iran’s nuclear program surged ahead, breaking free of the deal’s constraints.
—Josh Black, Time, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for abrupt
Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The Trump administration's abrupt and steep cuts to foreign aid have halted most of USAID's programs.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 1 July 2025
This combined with the abrupt elimination of the investment tax credit and electricity production tax credit after 2027 threatens to eliminate 300 gigawatts of wind and solar projects over the next 10 years, which is equivalent to about $450 billion worth of infrastructure investment, Hensley said.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 30 June 2025
Trump’s abrupt withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 led to the predictable result: Iran’s nuclear program surged ahead, breaking free of the deal’s constraints.
—Josh Black, Time, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for abrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abrupt
Adjective
-
In other words — not to be too blunt about it — employers took responsibility for training their workers to work for them.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
5 July 2025
-
The man identified as Moore-Hodges walked away from the park around 3:50 a.m. According to the complaint, an autopsy on June 30 affirmed the victim died of multiple blunt force injuries to his head and neck.—
Ariela Lopez,
jsonline.com,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Since March, the Trump administration has oscillated between implementing and pausing steep tariffs on some of the United States’ largest trading partners.—
Cailey Gleeson,
jsonline.com,
14 July 2025
-
In addition to Tha Carter III, Wayne’s recent release Tha Carter VI drops from No. 47 to No. 124, a steep decline just a month into its run.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
The tragedy in Ruidoso highlights growing concerns about increasingly intense weather systems striking communities with little time to prepare for sudden surges of water.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
-
In one particularly raw moment, a woman studying the photographs let out a sudden shriek.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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For beginners, Bravo recommends starting with short sessions and using a handle for support while your body adapts.—
Jordan Galloway,
SELF,
15 July 2025
-
Last season, Kawamura was the shortest player in the NBA at 5-foot-8.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
And our sandwiches in the South are creative and sometimes unexpected.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
14 July 2025
-
Workers installing a water pipeline in Croatia made an unexpected discovery, unearthing the remains of an 18th-century wooden boat.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
With a deep, gruff voice and animus toward humanity, McCarthy was an unusual dance-music star when Nitzer Ebb started notching chart hits.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2025
-
Two months ago, the world lost a gruff and burly guitar player named Al Barile.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
11 June 2025
Adjective
-
If that bluntness sound a little prosaic at first, there’s a curt poetry to it that comes into focus listening through 15 tracks that consist almost entirely of sisters Danielle, Alana and Este Haim handing in their respective resignations to long- or short-term partners, effectively immediately.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
20 June 2025
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Long-winded or hesitant responses in meetings meet with a curt response.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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Going from Pitch Stop to Drama Room meant a brusque shift, with all four projects grappling with questions either directly tied to or adjacent to modern masculinity.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
21 June 2025
-
That voice — brusque, solidly accented, cured in cigarette smoke, marinated in Jack Daniels — comes to me all the time.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrupt. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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