abrupt

/əˈbrʌpt/

sudden and unexpected

The meeting ended abruptly when the fire alarm rang.

The meeting stopped suddenly and without warning because the alarm sounded.

general

Happening suddenly and unexpectedly, often causing surprise.

There was an abrupt change in the weather.

The weather changed suddenly and without warning.

Often implies a lack of preparation or transition.

informal

Rude or blunt in manner; curt.

His reply was abrupt and unfriendly.

He answered in a short, rude way.

Describes a person's tone or attitude.

Engineering

formal

Having a steep or vertical face; sheer.

The road led to an abrupt cliff edge.

The road ended at a very steep, vertical drop.

Used in geography and construction contexts.

Collocations

abrupt changesudden shiftabrupt endsudden conclusionabrupt mannerrude way of speaking

'Sudden' is neutral (just fast/unexpected). 'Abrupt' often carries a negative connotation of being jarring, rude, or incomplete.

If describing a person's speech, 'abrupt' usually means rude. If describing an event, it means sudden.

From Latin 'abruptus', past participle of 'abruere' meaning 'to break off' or 'to tear away'.

Can describe physical objects (steep), events (sudden), or behavior (rude). Context determines which meaning is intended.

ab-

away from

prefix

rupt

broken

root

English Dictionary