abstract
Use Abstract in a sentence
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strækt; adjective
1.
thought of apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances: an abstract idea.
2.
3.
theoretical; not applied or practical: abstract science.
4.
difficult to understand; abstruse: abstract speculations.
5.
Fine Arts.
a.
of or pertaining to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., especially with reference to their relationship to one another.
b.
( often initial capital letter ) pertaining to the nonrepresentational art styles of the 20th century.
noun
6.
a summary of a text, scientific article, document, speech, etc.; epitome.
7.
something that concentrates in itself the essential qualities of anything more extensive or more general, or of several things; essence.
8.
an idea or term considered apart from some material basis or object.
9.
an abstract work of art.
00:10
Abstract
is an SAT word you need to know.
So is dubious. Does it mean:
| doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt: |
| tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation |
verb (used with object)
Idioms 10.
to draw or take away; remove.
11.
to divert or draw away the attention of.
12.
to steal.
13.
to consider as a general quality or characteristic apart from specific objects or instances: to abstract the notions of time, space, and matter.
14.
to make an abstract of; summarize.
15.
abstract away from, to omit from consideration.
16.
in the abstract, without reference to a specific object or instance; in theory: beauty in the abstract.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To abstract
Collins
World English Dictionary
| abstract | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | having no reference to material objects or specific examples; not concrete |
| 2. | not applied or practical; theoretical |
| 3. | hard to understand; recondite; abstruse |
| 4. | denoting art characterized by geometric, formalized, or otherwise nonrepresentational qualities |
| 5. | defined in terms of its formal properties: an abstract machine |
| 6. | philosophy (of an idea) functioning for some empiricists as the meaning of a general term: the word ``man'' does not name all men but the abstract idea of manhood |
| —n | |
| 7. | a condensed version of a piece of writing, speech, etc; summary |
| 8. | an abstract term or idea |
| 9. | an abstract painting, sculpture, etc |
| 10. | in the abstract without reference to specific circumstances or practical experience |
| —vb | |
| 11. | to think of (a quality or concept) generally without reference to a specific example; regard theoretically |
| 12. | to form (a general idea) by abstraction |
| 13. | (also intr) to summarize or epitomize |
| 14. | to remove or extract |
| 15. | euphemistic to steal |
| [C14: (in the sense: extracted): from Latin abstractus drawn off, removed from (something specific), from abs- | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
abstract
late 14c., from L. abstractus "drawn away," pp. of abstrahere, from ab(s)- "away" + trahere "draw" (see tract (1)). Meaning "withdrawn or separated from material objects or practical matters" is from 1550s; specifically in ref. to the fine arts, it dates from 1915; abstract
expressionism from 1952. The general noun sense of "a smaller quantity containing the virtue or power of a greater" [Johnson] is recorded from 1560s; meaning "summary of a document" is from 1520s. The verb is first recorded 1540s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
abstract ab·stract (āb-strākt', āb'strākt')
adj.
Considered apart from concrete existence.
Not applied or practical; theoretical.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
abstract definition
philosophyA description of a concept that leaves out some information or details in order to simplify it in some useful way.
Abstraction is a powerful technique that is applied in many areas of computing and elsewhere. For example: abstract class, data abstraction, abstract interpretation, abstract syntax, Hardware Abstraction Layer.
(2009-12-09)
Example sentences
The publishers ask for an abstract of only 150 words.
Although the separation actually weakens the description, it is an important feature of abstract language, the researchers note.
Some letters conformed to the etiquette of a peer-reviewed scientific paper, with an abstract and footnotes.
It is a natural evolution of abstract thought, necessary for the psychological well being of the human species.
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