ENGLISH
REFERENCE

abruptness

n.
C1 Advanced US //əˈbɹəptnəs// UK //ɐbɹˈʌptnəs// abrupt·ness

n. the quality of being sudden and lacking a smooth start or end. It describes a change that happens too quickly for you to prepare.

n. the quality of being sudden, sharp, or lacking a smooth transition. Often describes a change in tone, weather, or physical movement.


SIMPLE

The abruptness of the ending surprised everyone.

CONTEXTUAL

The sudden change in the weather was so abrupt that the hikers had no time to find shelter.

COMPLEX

The speaker's abruptness in cutting off the previous question left the audience feeling slightly disoriented and questioning the speaker's level of preparation.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From abrupt + -ness.

© 2026 English Reference