abrupt

1 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 Synonyms blunt, bluff, brusque (also brusk), crusty, curt, downright, short, short-spoken, snippy, unceremoniousRelated Words gruff, rough, snappish; candid, direct, forthright, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, open, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, point-blank, straightforward, straight-out; artless, discourteous, disrespectful, impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, insensitive, rude, tactless, undiplomatic; brief, closemouthed, laconic, reserved, reticent, terse, tight-lipped; earnest, honest, sincere; coarse, crass, crude, low, uncouth, vulgarNear Antonyms civil, considerate, courteous, diplomatic, gracious, polite, politic, smooth, suave, tactful; loquacious, talkative, voluble; long-winded, prolix, verbose; courtly, cultivated, gallant, genteel, polished, refinedAntonyms circuitous, mealymouthed

2 having an incline approaching the perpendicular the gentle, rolling hills gradually give way to high mountains with abrupt sides Synonyms steep, bold, precipitous, sheerRelated Words perpendicular, plumb, straight, vertical; craggy, hillocky, hilly, mountainous, scarped; angled, canted, cocked, heeled, inclined, listed, slanted, sloped, tilted, tippedNear Antonyms gentle, gradual, moderate, soft; even, flat, flush, horizontal, level, plane, smooth, unruffled, unwrinkledAntonyms easy

3 not expected his abrupt reappearance seems to have caught everyone off guard Synonyms unexpected, sudden, unanticipated, unforeseen, unlooked-forRelated Words unintended, unplanned; improbable, unlikely; startling, surprisingNear Antonyms predicted, prophesied; unsurprisingAntonyms anticipated, expected, foreseen