abruptadjective
uk/əˈbrʌpt/us/əˈbrʌpt/abrupt adjective (SUDDEN)
C2 sudden and unexpected, and often unpleasant:
an abrupt change/movement
Our conversation came to an abrupt end when George burst into the room.
The road ended in an abrupt (= sudden and very steep) slope down to the sea.
More examples
- The car juddered and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road.
- There was an abrupt change in her attitude towards me when she heard that I was Alan's girlfriend.
- The party came to rather an abrupt ending when Tom's parents came home.
- There was an abrupt fall in our sales figures following the bad publicity.
- As you step into the air-conditioned office, there is an abrupt change in temperature.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Not expected or planned
- ad hoc
- ad hocism
- ad hockery
- ad lib
- ad-lib
- adventitious
- against (all) the odds/against all odds idiom
- explosive
- involuntary
- it's just one of those things idiom
- just like that idiom
- make sth up as you go along idiom
- muddle
- rude
- spur
- summary
- unawares
- undreamed of
- unexpected
- unforeseen
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abrupt adjective (UNFRIENDLY)
C2 using too few words when talking, in a way that seems rude and unfriendly:
an abrupt manner/reply
He is sometimes very abrupt with clients.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Blunt and direct in speech & behaviour
- baldly
- blunt
- bluntly
- brusque
- brutal
- forward
- frank
- in a word idiom
- in the raw idiom
- man-to-man
- mince
- not mince (your) words idiom
- pull
- raw
- shoot from the hip idiom
- straight
- term
- terse
- unvarnished
- woman-to-woman
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Not being friendly
Not saying much
abruptly
adverb uk/əˈbrʌpt.li/us/əˈbrʌpt.li/
The talks ended abruptly when one of the delegations walked out in protest.
abruptness
noun [ U ] uk/əˈbrʌpt.nəs/us/əˈbrʌpt.nəs/