ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsAabrupt
ISEE/SSATeasy
abrupt
Meaning: happening suddenly and without warning
abrupt in a sentence
How abrupt is used in real sentences:
The bus made an abrupt stop, throwing bags off the overhead rack.
The coach's abrupt decision to bench the star player shocked the entire team before the championship game.
“One October night, an abrupt burst of clicks replaced it.”
— from the passage Signal in the Storm
Synonyms for abrupt
Other words for abrupt — sudden and unexpected — carry the same meaning.
- sudden
- unexpected
Antonyms of abrupt
Words that mean the opposite of abrupt:
- gradual
- expected
Where it comes from
From Latin abruptus 'broken off'
Word parts
- ab — away from, off of
abrupt: ab- (off) + rupt (broken) - rupt — break, burst
abrupt: ab- (off, away) + rupt (broken)
Memory hook
AB-RUPT sounds like 'a rupture' — something breaks off suddenly.