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⚡ Suddenness 😠 Rudeness ⛰️ Steepness
abruptness

abruptness

5.2
A very steep slope or sudden rise in the ground
  • noun
  • /əˈbrʌptnəs/
translation icon : abrupto
  • The abruptness of the drop in temperature overnight was unexpected and left everyone scrambling for jackets.

Examples

  • The hiker was surprised by the abruptness of the hill's steep climb, which made the trek more challenging.

  • Raising the temperature of the planet with a speed and an abruptness that is entirely man made.

  • The road's abruptness at the cliff's edge caught the drivers off guard, forcing them to slow down sharply.

Synonyms

drop
vsabruptness
41 5.3

A steep high face of rock, like a cliff

focuses on the quality of slope or sudden change, not the feature
drop-off
vsabruptness
5 5.5

A very steep edge of land or rock

is the general quality rather than a specific landform
suddenness
vsabruptness
5 3.7

A quick event that happens without warning

refers to slope angle or abrupt change rather than timing alone
steepness
vsabruptness
1 3.3

How quickly a hill or road goes up

adds the sense of sudden change as well as slope angle
precipitousness
vsabruptness
9.1

How steep a slope, cliff, or path is

is a general quality of being steep or sudden rather than extreme
sheerness
vsabruptness
5.1

A very steep slope or cliff that is almost vertical

is broader, covering steep or sudden qualities not only surface angle

Antonyms

gradualness
5.1

Slow way of changing that happens in small steps

How Steep

verticality
1 6.5
sheerness
5.1
abruptness
5.2
steepness
1 3.3
flatness
3 2.9

Surface Forms

abruptness singular
abruptnesses plural

Morphology

abruptness = abrupt (transparent) = abrupt + ness

Derived by a standard nominalization of the adjective 'abrupt' with '-ness' meaning 'the quality of being abrupt', which is directly predictable for learners.

Etymology

Abruptness comes from old Latin parts ab- 'away' and rupt from rumpere 'to break', and you can see the same root in interrupt and rupture. Imagine a road that suddenly 'breaks away' into a steep drop like a cliff; that's why abruptness describes a very steep or sudden slope.