abstract noun

An abstract noun is a type of noun that represents immaterial or abstract items, that is, things that we can’t actually interact with using our five senses. Abstract nouns are things like ideas, concepts, feelings, and traits.

For example, fear is an abstract noun that refers to a feeling. Although you might be able to see the thing you feel fear about, like a spider, you can’t see or touch the fear itself.

Other examples of abstract nouns are justice and mercy. You can’t use your senses to interact with justice and mercy, but you likely know them when they happen. Abstract nouns help us talk about complicated things.

Abstract nouns are one of the two major categories of nouns. The other one is concrete nouns, which we use for material things, such as puppy, cheese, or Peru. Some words are concrete nouns even if they’re invisible or tasteless. For example, the word wind is a concrete noun because you can feel it on your skin—it’s a real-world thing, as opposed to an abstract concept.

Many verbs and adjectives become abstract nouns when they’re combined with a suffix that creates a noun, such as –ness or –ion. For example, loneliness comes from the adjective lonely and education comes from the verb educate.

The first records of the term abstract noun come from the 1350s. It is a combination of the word noun, a term for the words we use to describe people, places, things, and ideas, and the adjective abstract, which means something that isn’t physical.

Because abstract nouns represent abstract things, they are often the hardest words to define or have the most complicated meanings. You can probably describe what a tree or basketball is in one or two sentences. But trying to explain cooperation or love is much more difficult.

Some verbs can be used as an abstract noun without adding a suffix, such as hate, exercise, and orbit.

Abstract nouns include things like ideas, concepts, feelings, and traits. They’re important in the discussion of complicated topics.

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Curiosity didn't kill the cat. Curiosity is an abstract noun and a quality found in humans that is not capable of killing anyone or thing :)

— Chai (@MyNamesChai) May 10, 2016

Love is an abstract noun.

— आशु ( Ashu) (@sentientones) April 16, 2020

• abstract
• noun
• concrete noun
• idea
• concept
• feeling
• trait

Which of the following words is NOT an abstract noun?

A. peace
B. shyness
C. fish
D. time