abruptly

[uh-bruhpt-lee]

adverb

1. without warning; suddenly or unexpectedly.

   Not noticing that the car in front of him had stopped abruptly, he rear-ended it.

2. in few words and without using any polite formulas; brusquely.

   My 14-year-old son was calling; as soon as I picked up, he asked abruptly, “How long till you get home?”

3. steeply; sharply.

   At one end, the meadow flowed into a large valley; at the other, it dropped off abruptly in a cliff.

Other Word Forms

• unabruptly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of abruptly¹

abrupt ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Moreover, she was upset on behalf of staff members who abruptly lost their jobs.

From Los Angeles Times

But one day last month that abruptly changed when a call to a colleague did not go through properly.

From BBC

Telling no one, she abruptly dropped out of Yale and moved with him to Arizona.

From Los Angeles Times

But the meeting was abruptly called off after Loomer launched a barrage of social media posts attacking Warner and NGA Director Vice Adm.

From Salon

Sarover says she was "blindsided" by the breakup, which happened "so abruptly".

From BBC

Related Words

• all of a sudden 
• precipitously www.thesaurus.com
• suddenly 
• unexpectedly