Abrupt and Gradual

Abrupt

Abrupt adjective - Having an incline approaching the perpendicular.
Usage example: the gentle, rolling hills gradually give way to high mountains with abrupt sides

Gradual is an antonym for abrupt in topics: steep, happening suddenly and unexpectedly, rude or brief in manner.

Nearby Words: abruptly, abruptness, abruption

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

Abrupt is an antonym for gradual in topics: steady, evenly.

Nearby Words: graduate, gradually, gradation, graduation, gradualism

Both words in one sentence

  • This new development can be either subtle or blatant, gradual or abrupt.
  • 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.
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