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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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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
Lionel Richie brought the first stop on his summer tour with Earth, Wind & Fire to an abrupt stop Wednesday evening, citing his health.
—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
The Starship program has been no exception, with uncrewed test flights occasionally ending with abrupt explosions over the Atlantic Ocean.
—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
And then, the cross-pollination came to an abrupt stop.
—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
Time is of the essence for most pop artists, and yet her brief absence doesn’t entirely explain such an abrupt fall.
—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for abrupt
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
The Starship program has been no exception, with uncrewed test flights occasionally ending with abrupt explosions over the Atlantic Ocean.
—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
And then, the cross-pollination came to an abrupt stop.
—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
Time is of the essence for most pop artists, and yet her brief absence doesn’t entirely explain such an abrupt fall.
—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for abrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abrupt
Adjective
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Erasure is sometimes too blunt a word for what happens to a literary life.
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Patton Veterinary Hospital was blunt on its website.
Adjective
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Peterson would fulfill steep guard needs for the Jazz.
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In this kind of unpredictable environment, putting money on the line can lead to either significant gains or steep losses for bettors.
Adjective
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From a fatal weekend crash on the I-184 Connector to a sudden summer cooldown, here’s a roundup of top stories the Idaho Statesman has published this week.
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The blockbuster rulings that dominate the news cycle each June are not sudden flashes of judicial willpower.
Adjective
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When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
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The tears weren't solely a result of coming up short at another major, but more so about the message his dad shared with him after Burns' Sunday surge up the leader board came up just short.
Adjective
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The exercise also included unexpected financial setbacks.
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The settlement that ended Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's blockbuster legal war began with an unexpected Friday night phone call.
Adjective
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After three minutes of routine and relatively curt responses, Redick was asked about the difficulty of closing a team out in a playoff series.
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Our separation would need to be curt and the novel did it.
Adjective
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Abraham Lincoln furiously scribbled in Springfield on June 27, 1858, firing off a gruff note to the editor-in-chief of the Chicago Press & Tribune, then in business for only 11 years.
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But Rose bet that a less gruff voice, ultimately Mike Brown’s, was required to win it all.
Adjective
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Though Porter became well-known for her blunt questioning of witnesses in Congress, her brusque style has not translated to broad support in California’s 2026 governor’s race.
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The dark comedy features Allison Janney as a brusque widow who has to plan her husband's funeral with her estranged son's assistant (Andrew Rannells).
Cite this Entry
“Abrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrupt. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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