# abrupt

/əˈbɹəpt/ (US) · /ɐbɹˈʌpt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/abrupt
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. sudden and unexpected

adjective · CEFR B2

happening very suddenly and often in a way that is not pleasant.

For teachers: occurring without warning; sudden and unexpected in a way that may be perceived as jarring.

- The bus came to an abrupt stop when a cat ran into the road.
- The meeting came to an abrupt end when the CEO was called away for an emergency phone call.

### 2. curt or rude

adjective · CEFR B2

speaking in a way that is very short and seems a bit rude.

For teachers: curt or brusque in manner or speech; lacking in social ceremony or politeness.

- I was surprised by his abrupt answer when I asked for help.
- Her abrupt dismissal of my suggestions left me feeling undervalued and hesitant to contribute further to the project.

### 3. steep or craggy

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

having a very steep or sharp drop, like a cliff.

For teachers: rising or dropping with extreme steepness; precipitous in physical form.

- The path led to an abrupt cliff overlooking the dark ocean.
- The hikers were forced to turn back when they encountered an abrupt rock face that required professional climbing gear to scale.

### 4. disjointed style

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

changing from one idea to another too quickly, making it hard to follow.

For teachers: characterised by sudden transitions or lack of smooth connection between parts; disjointed.

- The author's abrupt writing style made the story difficult to understand.
- The professor noted that the student's essay suffered from an abrupt transition between the historical analysis and the modern case study.

### 5. botany/biology

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

ending suddenly, as if the end was cut off.

For teachers: terminating suddenly as if broken or cut off; truncate in form.

- The plant is easy to identify because of its abrupt leaf tips.
- The specimen is distinguished from related species by the abrupt termination of the primary root system.

## Examples

- The meeting ended with an abrupt silence.
- His abrupt resignation surprised the entire team because he had never mentioned leaving.
- The narrative suffers from an abrupt shift in tone, moving from gentle humor to stark tragedy without any transitional passage.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.