abruptly

adverb

abrupt·​ly ə-ˈbrəp(t)-lē How to pronounce abruptly (audio)
Synonyms of abruptly
: 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

the car in front stopped abruptly, and we almost hit it
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As aides at the Capitol were actively building a stage for the celebratory event, meant to communicate a big cost-of-living win to voters, the president abruptly canceled it. Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 2 July 2026 Citing national security concerns, foreign nationals were abruptly banned access to the systems last month—so Anthropic took them both down. Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Then, abruptly, the SSC was gone—and with it, an opportunity to explore a frontier that remains beyond our reach more than three decades later. Florencia Canelli, Scientific American, 1 July 2026 DeMayo abruptly exited as head writer of the Disney+/Marvel series in March 2024, ahead of its premiere. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for abruptly

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abruptly was in 1565

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abruptly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abruptly. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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