Abrupt
Gradual
Gradual adjective - Proceeding or changing by steps or degrees.
Usage example: a gradual drop in gas prices will take place over the next several months
Both words in one sentence
- This new development can be either subtle or blatant, gradual or abrupt.
Source: Villain Corner - In reality, groups of people grow close to each other and part ways again all the time, but this is always a gradual, continuous process, while in fiction, it is often fast-forwarded to save narrative space, coming across as abrupt and forcing the fandom to adjust on the fly.
Source: The Fellowship Has Ended
Cite this Source
Gradual and Abrupt. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/abrupt/gradual
Abrupt & Gradual. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/abrupt/gradual>.
Gradual or Abrupt. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/abrupt/gradual.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "abrupt" and "gradual" have occurred on timeline