abrupt

An abrupt decision is one you make suddenly. An abrupt halt is one the Road Runner comes to when reaching an abrupt drop-off — you'd hear brakes squealing.

Because being abrupt with someone is often a way of showing them that you are angry, you often apologize for the appearance of it. "I'm sorry I was abrupt. I was rushing to get to class." The root of abrupt is Latin rumpere "to break," which also gives us rupture "break" and interrupt "break into."

Definitions of abrupt
  1. adjective
    exceedingly sudden and unexpected
    “came to an abrupt stop”
    “an abrupt change in the weather”
    Synonyms:
    sudden
    happening without warning or in a short space of time
  2. adjective
    marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
    “abrupt prose”
    synonyms: disconnected
    disconnected, staccato
    (music) marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds; cut short crisply
  3. adjective
    surprisingly and unceremoniously brusque in manner
    “an abrupt reply”
    Synonyms:
    discourteous
    showing no courtesy; rude
  4. adjective
    extremely steep
    “an abrupt canyon”
    synonyms: precipitous, sharp
    steep
    having a sharp inclination
Word Family