abruptly
adverb
Simple meaning
Without giving notice, or without the usual forms.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhbruhptleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əbˈɹʌptli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
In an abrupt manner; without giving notice, or without the usual forms; suddenly; precipitously.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In an abrupt manner; without giving notice, or without the usual forms; suddenly; precipitously.
When something happens 'abruptly,' it's sudden and often unexpected, sometimes even a bit jarring. It conveys a sense of immediate change, without warning or smooth transition. Think of something stopping without notice.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Sudden and forceful
- Usage feel
- Blunt and forceful
Where you'll really hear it
Storytelling
“The music stopped abruptly, leaving an unsettling silence.”
Describing events
“He abruptly changed the subject during our conversation.”
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use abruptly
- “The professor stopped her lecture abruptly when she noticed someone fall off their seat.”adverb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A pinnate leaf with a pair of leaflets at the apex.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: in an abrupt manner
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “abruptly” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.