The meaning of Abrupt

adjective

(of an unpleasant or unwelcome situation or phenomenon) present or experienced to a severe or intense degree.

Usage examples:

An acute housing shortage

noun

Short for acute accent.

noun

An attempt to deceive someone into believing that one can or is going to do something.

Usage examples:

The offer was denounced as a bluff

verb

Try to deceive someone as to one's abilities or intentions.

Usage examples:

He's been bluffing all along

adjective

Direct in speech or behaviour but in a good-natured way.

Usage examples:

A big, bluff, hearty man

adjective

(of a cutting implement) not having a sharp edge or point.

Usage examples:

A blunt knife

verb

Make or become less sharp.

Usage examples:

Wood can blunt your axe

noun

A hollowed-out cigar filled with cannabis.

Usage examples:

Consequently, marijuana use in blunts may persist longer into adulthood for a larger proportion of …

adjective

Dangerously or extremely fast.

Usage examples:

He drove at breakneck speed

adjective

Dangerously fast

Usage examples:

They were cycling along at breakneck speed.

adjective

Active and energetic.

Usage examples:

A good brisk walk

verb

Quicken something.

Usage examples:

Mary brisked up her pace

adjective

Quick, energetic, and active

Usage examples:

I took a brisk walk., business has been brisk lately., a brisk (= cold but pleasant) wind blew acro…

adjective

Abrupt or offhand in speech or manner.

Usage examples:

She could be brusque and impatient

adjective

Quick and direct in manner or speech, and often not polite

Usage examples:

As the president’s chief of staff, he offended many with his brusque manner.

noun

A supporter of king charles i in the english civil war.

Usage examples:

Those loyal to parliament were called roundheads; those loyal to the king were cavaliers.

adjective

Showing a lack of proper concern; offhand.

Usage examples:

Anne was irritated by his cavalier attitude

adjective

Not serious or caring enough about matters that other people are serious about

Usage examples:

A cavalier attitude toward public health concerns

adjective

Rude in a mean-spirited and surly way.

Usage examples:

It seems churlish to complain

adjective

Rude, unfriendly, and unpleasant

Usage examples:

[ + to infinitive ] they invited me to dinner and i thought it would be churlish to refuse., i chur…

adjective

(of a substance) firm, dry, and brittle.

Usage examples:

Crisp bacon

noun

A wafer-thin slice of potato fried or baked until crisp and eaten as a snack.

Usage examples:

Cut down on fatty snacks such as crisps

verb

Give (food) a crisp surface by placing it in an oven or under a grill.

Usage examples:

Crisp the pitta in the oven

adjective

Rudely brief.

Usage examples:

His reply was curt

adjective

Showing rudeness and a lack of consideration for other people.

Usage examples:

It would be unkind and discourteous to decline a visit

adjective

Not caring enough about other people’s feelings; not polite

Usage examples:

I felt it was discourteous of him to leave immediately after his talk., [ c ] she was never guilty …

adjective

Having or involving a sensation of spinning around and losing one's balance.

Usage examples:

Jonathan had begun to suffer dizzy spells

verb

Make (someone) feel unsteady, confused, or amazed.

Usage examples:

Her nearness dizzied him

adjective

Having or causing a feeling of spinning around and being unable to balance

Usage examples:

She felt dizzy and needed to sit down., fig. in the computer industry, change comes at a dizzy pace…

adjective

(of a voice) rough and low in pitch.

Usage examples:

She spoke with a gruff, masculine voice

adjective

Unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses.

Usage examples:

Drenched in a harsh white neon light

adjective

Unkind or cruel or uncivil

adjective

Unkind or cruel

Usage examples:

Harsh criticism, a harsh winter, harsh lighting

adjective

Done with excessive speed or urgency; hurried.

Usage examples:

A hasty attempt to defuse the situation

adjective

Hasty actions are done in a hurry, sometimes without the necessary care or thought

Usage examples:

He warned against making hasty decisions., now let's not leap to any hasty conclusions., we saw the…

adverb

With the head foremost.

Usage examples:

He fell headlong into the tent

adjective

Extremely or recklessly hasty.

Usage examples:

A headlong dash through the house

adjective

Done in a hurry; rushed.

Usage examples:

I ate a hurried breakfast

verb

Move or act with great haste.

Usage examples:

We'd better hurry

adjective

Occurring or done at once; instant.

Usage examples:

The authorities took no immediate action

adjective

Happening or done without delay or very soon after something else

Usage examples:

She made an immediate impact when she arrived to coach the team., emotional outbursts followed in t…

adjective

Occurring or done instantly.

Usage examples:

Modern methods of instantaneous communication

adjective

Happening or completed immediately, without any delay

Usage examples:

Tv has conditioned us to expect instantaneous answers to difficult questions.

adjective

Relating to meteors or meteorites.

Usage examples:

Meteoric iron

adjective

Of or like a meteor

Usage examples:

Meteoric rock, a meteoric rise to fame

adjective

Developing very fast and attracting a lot of attention

Usage examples:

Speculation on the currency has helped its meteoric rise of 16% against the us dollar in a year., h…

adjective

Serious and practical

Usage examples:

Barnes has a quiet, no-nonsense manner of doing business.

adjective

Practical and only interested in achieving what is intended without wasting time, listening to any unusual ideas, etc.

Usage examples:

A no-nonsense approach/attitude/style she has a commanding manner and no-nonsense approach to busin…

adjective

Ungraciously or offensively nonchalant or cool in manner.

Usage examples:

You were a bit offhand with her this afternoon

adverb

Without previous thought or consideration.

Usage examples:

I can't think of a better answer offhand

adverb

Now, without looking for information or without taking the time to consider carefully

Usage examples:

I can’t tell you the exact number offhand, but it was something like $25,000., offhand remarks, his…

adjective

At an angle of 90° to a given line, plane, or surface or to the ground.

Usage examples:

Dormers and gables that extend perpendicular to the main roofline

noun

A straight line at an angle of 90° to a given line, plane, or surface.

Usage examples:

At each division draw a perpendicular representing the surface line

adjective

At an angle of 90° to another line or surface

Usage examples:

Two perpendicular lines form a right angle., the cliff was nearly perpendicular and impossible to c…

verb

Cause (an event or situation, typically one that is undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely.

Usage examples:

The incident precipitated a political crisis

adjective

Done, made, or acting suddenly or without careful consideration.

Usage examples:

I must apologize for my staff—their actions were precipitate

noun

A substance precipitated from a solution.

Usage examples:

Any silver ions present form a white precipitate (silver chloride).

adjective

Dangerously high or steep.

Usage examples:

The track skirted a precipitous drop

adjective

Very steep, or falling a long way very fast

Usage examples:

Precipitous cliffs, new fads could result in a precipitous drop in sales.

adjective

If a reduction is precipitous, it happens very suddenly and is very big

Usage examples:

A precipitous decline/drop/fall the company has seen a precipitous decline in advertising revenue.,…

adjective

Moving fast or doing something in a short time.

Usage examples:

In the qualifying session he was two seconds quicker than his teammate

adverb

At a fast rate; quickly.

Usage examples:

He'll find some place where he can make money quicker

noun

The soft tender flesh below the growing part of a fingernail or toenail.

Usage examples:

You'll enjoy the movie if your idea of a good time is sitting glued to the edge of your seat chewin…

adjective

Happening in a short time or at a great rate.

Usage examples:

The country's rapid economic decline

noun

A fast-flowing and turbulent part of the course of a river.

Usage examples:

Those of you looking for adventure can shoot the rapids

adjective

Quick or sudden

Usage examples:

Rapid growth, there’s been rapid change in china., we kept up a rapid pace., males grow more rapidl…

adjective

Having an uneven or irregular surface; not smooth or level.

Usage examples:

They had to carry the victim across the rough, stony ground

adverb

In a manner that lacks gentleness; harshly or violently.

Usage examples:

Treat 'em rough but treat 'em fair

noun

A disreputable and violent person.

Usage examples:

The rear of the column was attacked by roughs

adjective

Offensively impolite or bad-mannered.

Usage examples:

She had been rude to her boss

adjective

Behaving in a way that hurts other people’s feelings; not polite

Usage examples:

I apologized for ted’s rude behavior., i thought it was rude of him not to introduce me., i’ve live…

adjective

(of an object) having an edge or point that is able to cut or pierce something.

Usage examples:

Cut the cake with a very sharp knife

adverb

Precisely (used after an expression of time).

Usage examples:

The meeting starts at 7.30 sharp

noun

A musical note raised a semitone above natural pitch.

Usage examples:

Choices in successive levels expand to all notes, then sharps and flats.

adjective

Nothing other than; unmitigated (used for emphasis).

Usage examples:

She giggled with sheer delight

adverb

Perpendicularly.

Usage examples:

The ridge fell sheer, in steep crags

noun

A very fine or diaphanous fabric or article.

Usage examples:

I put up the new curtains and sheers

adjective

Measuring a small distance from end to end.

Usage examples:

Short dark hair

verb

(of a vowel) categorized as short with regard to quality and length (e.g. in standard british english the vowel /ʊ/ in good is short as distinct from the long vowel /uː/ in food ).

noun

Short trousers that reach only to the knees or thighs.

Usage examples:

Cycling shorts

adjective

(of a dog) irritable and inclined to bite.

Usage examples:

She was often snappish with the children

adjective

Easily annoyed and often speaking in an angry way

Usage examples:

He's very snappish when he arrives at work in the morning.

adjective

Irritable and inclined to speak sharply; snappish.

Usage examples:

Anything unusual made her snappy and nervous

adjective

Done or occurring quickly.

Usage examples:

A speedy recovery

adjective

Very quick or fast

Usage examples:

They hope to bring a speedy end to the conflict., the error can be speedily corrected.

adjective

Very surprising, astonishing, or remarkable.

Usage examples:

He bore a startling likeness to their father

verb

Cause to feel sudden shock or alarm.

Usage examples:

A sudden sound in the doorway startled her

adjective

(of a slope, flight of stairs, or angle) rising or falling sharply; almost perpendicular.

Usage examples:

She pushed the bike up the steep hill

noun

A steep mountain slope.

Usage examples:

Hair-raising steeps

verb

Soak (food or tea) in water or other liquid so as to extract its flavour or to soften it.

Usage examples:

The chillies are steeped in olive oil

adjective

Occurring or done quickly and unexpectedly or without warning.

Usage examples:

A sudden bright flash

adverb

Suddenly.

Usage examples:

Sudden there swooped an eagle downward

adjective

Happening or done quickly or unexpectedly

Usage examples:

The cyclist lowered his head and put on a sudden burst of speed.

adjective

Bad-tempered and unfriendly.

Usage examples:

The porter left with a surly expression

adjective

Not wanting to please you or to be friendly

Usage examples:

The clerks in this post office are sullen, surly, and inefficient.

adjective

Causing surprise; unexpected.

Usage examples:

A surprising sequence of events

verb

(of something unexpected) cause (someone) to feel mild astonishment or shock.

Usage examples:

I was surprised at his statement

adjective

Unexpected and causing surprise

Usage examples:

The election results were surprising for a number of reasons., there was a surprising amount of tal…

adjective

Happening quickly or promptly.

Usage examples:

A remarkably swift recovery

adverb

Swiftly.

Usage examples:

Streams that ran swift and clear

noun

A swift-flying insectivorous bird with long, slender wings and a superficial resemblance to a swallow, spending most of its life on the wing.

Usage examples:

The white-throated swift is a large, slender swift with long wings and a narrow tail, usually held …

adjective

Sparing in the use of words; abrupt.

Usage examples:

A terse statement

adjective

Not expected or predicted.

Usage examples:

One of the unanticipated gains of the reforms has been the shift of emphasis to primary care

adjective

Not having been expected to happen

Usage examples:

This was yet another unanticipated event that upset the administration's plans and expectations., i…

adjective

Having or showing a lack of courtesy; rough or abrupt.

Usage examples:

He was known for his strong views and unceremonious manners

adjective

Done in a rude, sudden, or informal way

Usage examples:

An unceremonious refusal

adjective

Discourteous; impolite.

Usage examples:

He'd been short and uncivil with her

adjective

Not polite

Usage examples:

He was most uncivil to your father - called him an old fool.

adjective

Not expected or regarded as likely to happen.

Usage examples:

His death was totally unexpected

adjective

Not expected; surprising

Usage examples:

What an unexpected treat to meet you here!

adjective

Not anticipated or predicted.

Usage examples:

Our insurance package enables you to protect yourself and your dependants against unforeseen circum…

adjective

At right angles to a horizontal plane; in a direction, or having an alignment, such that the top is directly above the bottom.

Usage examples:

The vertical axis

noun

A vertical line or plane.

Usage examples:

The columns incline several degrees away from the vertical

adjective

Standing or pointing straight up or at an angle of 90 to a horizontal surface or line

Usage examples:

Water that had leaked from above formed a vertical line down one wall.

adjective

Extremely high or steep.

Usage examples:

Vertiginous drops to the valleys below

adjective

Causing or experiencing the feeling that everything is spinning around

Usage examples:

The two skyscrapers were connected by a vertiginous walkway.

adjective

Using or involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.

Usage examples:

A violent confrontation with riot police

adjective

Using or involving force to hurt or attack

Usage examples:

Violent crime, the police are concerned about the possibility of violent behavior at the demonstrat…