abrupt
Americanadjective
-
sudden or unexpected.
an abrupt departure.
- Antonyms:
- gradual
-
curt or brusque in speech, manner, etc..
an abrupt reply.
- Antonyms:
- courteous, patient, deliberate
-
terminating or changing suddenly.
an abrupt turn in a road.
- Antonyms:
- gradual
-
having many sudden changes from one subject to another; lacking in continuity or smoothness.
an abrupt writing style.
- Synonyms:
- uneven, broken, discontinuous
-
steep; precipitous.
an abrupt descent.
-
Botany. truncate.
adjective
-
sudden; unexpected
-
brusque or brief in speech, manner, etc; curt
-
(of a style of writing or speaking) making sharp transitions from one subject to another; disconnected
-
precipitous; steep
-
botany shaped as though a part has been cut off; truncate
-
geology (of strata) cropping out suddenly
Related Words
See sudden.
Other Word Forms
- abruptly adverb
- abruptness noun
Etymology
Origin of abrupt
First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin abruptus “broken off”(past participle of abrumpere ), equivalent to ab- ab- + -rup- “break” + -tus past participle suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nonetheless, the contagion effect from AI into the bond market has been abrupt and “started getting real” within the past two weeks.
From MarketWatch
Citadel’s macro strategist Frank Flight asserts that AI adoption will be slower than many think and therefore abrupt labor disruption is unlikely to happen.
From MarketWatch
Then they took an abrupt turn for the worse.
From Barron's
Jefferies analyst Brent Thill downgraded Workday’s stock to hold from buy on Monday, writing that he was worried about the “abrupt” departure of the company’s well-liked former CEO.
From MarketWatch
This year has already tested investors with abrupt crash courses on new Anthropic tools that might doom — or complement — software companies, the legal profession, payment systems, banks, cybersecurity and more.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
