a·brupt [? brúpt] adjective 1. sudden: sudden and unexpected 2. brusque: brief and making no effort to be friendly 3. disconnected: not passing smoothly from topic to topic 4. steep: with a sudden steep slope [Late 16th century. < Latin abruptus "broken off, steep," past participle of abrumpere "break off" < rumpere "break"] -a·brupt·ly, adverb -a·brupt·ness, noun