What does "abrupt" mean?
Abrupt: Without notice to prepare the mind for the event; sudden; hasty; unceremonious. "The cause of your abrupt departure." Shak.
Additional senses
- 2.Having sudden transitions from one subject to another; unconnected. The abrupt style, which hath many breaches. B. Jonson.
- 3.(Bot.) Suddenly terminating, as if cut off. Gray.
- 4.An abrupt place. [Poetic] "Over the vast abrupt." Milton.
- 5.To tear off or asunder. [Obs.] "Till death abrupts them." Sir T. Browne.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17 · Modified: 2026-07-17