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Synonym Chooser

How is the word abrupt different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of abrupt are precipitous, sheer, and steep. While all these words mean "having an incline approaching the perpendicular," abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.

a beach with an abrupt drop-off

When could precipitous be used to replace abrupt?

The words precipitous and abrupt are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.

the river winds through a precipitous gorge

When is sheer a more appropriate choice than abrupt?

The words sheer and abrupt can be used in similar contexts, but sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.

sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

When would steep be a good substitute for abrupt?

The synonyms steep and abrupt are sometimes interchangeable, but steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.

a steep hill
a steep dive

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abrupt The frustrated bride explained that her brother’s abrupt wedding plans poses multiple roadblocks to her wedding festivities. Raven Brunner, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025 Cool, calm days can extend the length of the bloom, but a rainy, windy day can bring cherry blossom bloom season to an abrupt end. Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025 The decision was abrupt even for Red Bull, which has cycled through half a dozen teammates for four-time world champion Verstappen. Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 27 Mar. 2025 Social isolation, the abrupt removal of routine, and pervasive uncertainty left marks that are not easily erased. Elizabeth Austin, Time, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for abrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abrupt
Adjective
  • Honesty without emotional attunement can become a weapon in relationships, with truth being used as blunt force, not a bridge for connection.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • What to watch: In Europe and Canada — two of America's largest trading partners — officials have been blunt about the realities of a global system where the United States is less prominent.
    Axios, Axios, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • That was a slightly steeper decline than the one reported in a preliminary reading earlier this month.
    Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Rescue crews found the hikers along a steep cliff edge in the Big Flat Area, about 10 miles north of an area known as Shelter Cove, according to a news release from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay.
    Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The fraught legal battle is also taking place amid a sudden round of visa revocations among international students at some of the country’s top universities, with college officials left unprepared and searching for answers from the government.
    Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Similar to his advice on Caterpillar, Cramer has in recent days been recommending investors not making any sudden movements with their portfolios because there’s so much uncertainty.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But the short answer either way was: Good God, yes!
    Chris Willman, Variety, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The roster of those who have fallen short magnifies the challenge.
    Bob Spear, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • JuJu Watkins is receiving love from unexpected places.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • In 2002, Amazon required every executive to master an unexpected skill: writing press releases for products that didn’t yet exist.
    Daniel Lotzof, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This was the puzzle: The Torch and the Treasure A Bridge Puzzle of Strategy, Speed... and Stolen Gold Five daring fantasy thieves—a nimble Elf, a sneaky Goblin, a fleet-footed Satyr, a gruff Dwarf, and a hulking Troll—have just pulled off the heist of the century.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Could this gruff old man playing mahjong in a nondescript hall be a curious gambler on the last boat up the Mekong, laughing in the face of Edward’s existential crisis?
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • There was also his curt response to a strange controversy over his decision not to include an image of Armstrong planting the American flag on the moon.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
  • He was dispatched in a curt, five-sentence press release.
    Jack Lang, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Publicly, throughout his career, Tortorella has been both thoughtful and earnest in some moments and blunt and brusque in others.
    Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Young Ari doesn’t want to confront the reality that her mother might never return, though the brusque independence with which Bateman carries herself tells its own story, as though Ari has had to contend with this scenario before.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Abrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrupt. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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