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.
That is, until, like so many silent screen stars, their careers are abruptly ended with the advent of talkies. Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026 Though six men were executed in 2023, just one was put to death the following year before the pace abruptly ramped up in 2025. Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 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 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 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

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Cite this Entry

“Abruptly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abruptly. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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