How to Use abrupt in a Sentence

abrupt

adjective
  • The road came to an abrupt end.
  • There was an abrupt change in the weather.
  • The storm caused an abrupt power failure.
  • She has an abrupt manner.
  • The abrupt shift caught traders off guard.
    — Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 23 Mar. 2026
  • His fall was about as abrupt as his rise.
    — Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 13 Jan. 2026
  • But abrupt moves like this haven’t gone down well in the past.
    — Bruna Horvath, NBC news, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Then there’s an abrupt, hard stop—silence.
    — Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Ober's three-game winning streak came to an abrupt end.
    — ABC News, 30 May 2026
  • When the man fainted, the event came to an abrupt halt.
    — Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
  • And an abrupt end to that meeting, as well as their job.
    — Michael Wayland, CNBC, 12 May 2026
  • There was an abrupt downshift in her tone, her words a shove.
    — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
  • The abrupt changes can act as a red flag that something's wrong.
    — Barbara Brody, Health.com, 29 Sep. 2021
  • Styles retiring in just over a week feels too abrupt.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
  • That abrupt change is a clear symptom that something is wrong.
    — Nicole Wetsman, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2023
  • The sudden shifts in time are abrupt and sometimes hard to track.
    — Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2022
  • The orange colour scheme just feels a little bit too abrupt.
    — Ajay Rose, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
  • For some travel nurses, the abrupt drop in pay has been a shock.
    — Hannah Norman, NBC News, 8 May 2022
  • Would there be a gradual slow down, or an abrupt end to the surge?
    — Emily Mesner, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Nov. 2021
  • His change of plea from not guilty was an abrupt reversal in the case.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 21 Oct. 2021
  • For Ellen Schiller’s chain of three, the end was a bit more abrupt.
    — New York Times, 29 Jan. 2022
  • Then came that abrupt change of direction.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
  • There has been no season for me that has had as abrupt an ending as this one.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Make any sudden or abrupt movements.
    — C. A. Bridges, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
  • But the influx of artifacts could come to an abrupt end one day.
    — Rick Noack, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Nov. 2022
  • Despite the abrupt ending, the Lasers left their mark.
    — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The crash is an abrupt end to what was supposed to be an exciting new phase.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Many passengers had already left the plane when the tail took an abrupt dip.
    — Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 23 Oct. 2023
  • Martin Sheen gave an abrupt speech at his son’s third wedding.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
  • As with flight delays, the abrupt change in plans can turn into an ordeal.
    — Luz Lazo, Washington Post, 22 July 2022

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

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