abruptly

adverb

abrupt·​ly ə-ˈbrəp(t)-lē How to pronounce abruptly (audio)
: in an abrupt manner : in a sudden and unexpected way
He left abruptly.
The car swerved abruptly onto the exit ramp.
Her career as a psychologist ended abruptly several years ago when a hacker broke into some of her private client files and made them public …Michael Logan
The small, rocky Anacapa Island [California] has steep cliffs which rise abruptly from the ocean on almost every side …David J. Rutherford

Examples of abruptly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The meeting ended abruptly, and James did not tell school officials that their son had a gun, according to the Detroit Free Press. Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Once Joy’s adult children realize she’s gone missing, their suspicions fall initially on Savannah (Georgia Flood), the grifter who’d recently ingratiated herself with their parents before abruptly exiting their lives. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 The human driver then sped ahead of the robotaxi and braked abruptly in front of it. Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 After graduating from college with aspirations of a career in finance, Lee’s plans were abruptly derailed by the 2008 financial crisis. Maia Torres, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 The House overwhelmingly passed a measure Wednesday to force TikTok to split from its parent company or face a national ban, a lightning offensive that materialized abruptly after years of unsuccessful negotiations over the platform’s fate. Mariana Alfaro, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 In footage of the ceremony, Stone can be seen reaching for the award from Yeoh, but the statuette is then abruptly handed to presenter Jennifer Lawrence. USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 A number of publications, including the Associated Press, shared the picture issued by the Kensington Palace—before abruptly taking it down. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024 The case was abruptly dropped in the middle of trial in New York on Wednesday, thereby clearing rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosnski of charges, according to the Associated Press. Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abruptly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abruptly was in 1565

Dictionary Entries Near abruptly

Cite this Entry

“Abruptly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abruptly. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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