Added 9 October 2026
abrupt
/əˈbɹʌpt/ adjective
In Latin: abruptus First recorded: 1583 Wiktionary
adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about abrupt at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions.
abrupt prose
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Exceedingly sudden and unexpected.
came to an abrupt stop
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Extremely steep.
an abrupt canyon
Origin
First attested in 1583. Borrowed from Latin abruptus (“broken off”), perfect passive participle of abrumpō (“break off”), formed from ab (“from, away from”) + rumpō (“to break”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)