abrupt

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /əˈbrʌpt/ UK /əˈbrʌpt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
sudden and unexpected; curt in manner

The conversation ended with an abrupt slam of the door.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · sudden and unexpected; curt... sudden unexpected curt brusque hasty precipitate blunt

Opposites

gradual gentle leisurely courteous smooth

Word family

Derived forms abruptly abruptness

Related forms rupture disrupt corrupt

Simplified etymology

Abrupt entered English in the mid-16th century from Latin abrumpere, glossed as “broken off, steep,” from rumpere, “to break.” It was formerly also a noun meaning “abyss,” and by the late 16th century it had developed its modern senses of “sudden” and “unexpected,” including in descriptions of a person’s manner.

Etymology

From Latin abruptus, past participle of abrumpere ('to break off'), from ab- ('away') + rumpere ('to break').

abrumpere Latin rumpere Latin *Hrewp- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# abrupt

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /əˈbrʌpt/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈbrʌpt/

## Meanings
1. sudden and unexpected; curt in manner

## Examples
- The conversation ended with an abrupt slam of the door.

## Synonyms
- sudden
- unexpected
- curt
- brusque
- hasty
- precipitate
- blunt

## Antonyms
- gradual
- gentle
- leisurely
- courteous
- smooth

## Derived Forms
- abruptly
- abruptness

## Related Forms
- rupture
- disrupt
- corrupt

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: abrumpere
- Root: rumpere
- Root: *Hrewp-

## Etymology
From Latin abruptus, past participle of abrumpere ('to break off'), from ab- ('away') + rumpere ('to break').

## AI Etymology
Abrupt comes from Latin abruptus, past participle of abrumpere ('to break off'), from ab- ('away') + rumpere ('to break'). The historical trail runs through Latin abrumpere, Latin rumpere and Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp-. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means sudden and unexpected; curt in manner. Derived formations include abruptly, abruptness; related forms include rupture, disrupt, corrupt.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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