abstract
thought of apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances: an abstract idea.
expressing a quality or characteristic apart from any specific object or instance, as justice, poverty, and speed.
not applied or practical; theoretical: abstract science.
difficult to understand; abstruse: abstract speculations.
Fine Arts.
of or relating to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., especially with reference to their relationship to one another.
Often Abstract . pertaining to the nonrepresentational art styles of the 20th century.
a summary of a text, scientific article, document, speech, etc.; epitome.
something that concentrates in itself the essential qualities of anything more extensive or more general, or of several things; essence.
an idea or term considered apart from some material basis or object.
an abstract work of art.
Idioms about abstract
abstract away from, to omit from consideration.
in the abstract, without reference to a specific object or instance; in theory: beauty in the abstract.
Origin of abstract
1Other words from abstract
- ab·stract·er, noun
- ab·stract·ly, adverb
- ab·stract·ness, noun
- non·ab·stract, adjective, noun
- non·ab·stract·ly, adverb
- non·ab·stract·ness, noun
- o·ver·ab·stract, verb (used with object), adjective
- pre·ab·stract, adjective
- su·per·ab·stract, adjective
- su·per·ab·stract·ly, adverb
- su·per·ab·stract·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use abstract in a sentence
As Margot took teaching positions at Antioch College, which had an extension campus in Maryland, and other area institutions, her aesthetic evolved in abstract pieces that presented mysterious texts over still photography.
Maryland video artist spent a lifetime supporting arts in the Washington region | Justin Wm. Moyer | December 3, 2020 | Washington PostFor example, if you cut out the abstract and conclusion, the Nature Communications paper could have easily been titled, “Evidence for gender bias in citation rates for senior and junior coauthors in science publications.”
The Problem with a New Study on Mentorship in Science - Facts So Romantic | Aubrey Clayton | December 2, 2020 | NautilusSometimes these appear in an abstract form, like puzzles or running away from an enemy.
‘Twin Mirror’ is a pale reflection of Dontnod’s previous, story-rich games | Elise Favis | December 2, 2020 | Washington PostI am loath to spoil the events of this game, even in the abstract, but I have been deeply moved by the time I have spent playing it.
One Good Thing: An amazing game played entirely via text message | Emily VanDerWerff | November 30, 2020 | VoxNoether contributed to many other realms of math, especially abstract algebra, and clarified some of the mathematical aspects of general relativity.
Do You Know These Scientific Pioneers? - Issue 93: Forerunners | Tom Siegfried | November 25, 2020 | Nautilus
He had no spontaneous word of encouragement or consolation to offer; he went through it as his duty with a horrible abstractness.
The Rector | Mrs. (Margaret) OliphantLack of self-expression, too great reserve and too much abstractness in conversation are the things that handicap the Cerebral.
How to Analyze People on Sight | Elsie Lincoln Benedict and Ralph Paine BenedictOn such a view thought certainly loses its abstractness and remoteness.
Creative Intelligence | John Dewey, Addison W. Moore, Harold Chapman Brown, George H. Mead, Boyd H. Bode, Henry Waldgrave, Stuart James, Hayden Tufts, Horace M. KallenHe will think it a less fault than the tameness and abstractness, which are the besetting sins of deliberate composition.
Hints on Extemporaneous Preaching | Henry WareThe circumstance that makes the appreciation of cost often unaesthetic is the abstractness of that quality.
The Sense of Beauty | George Santayana
British Dictionary definitions for abstract
having no reference to material objects or specific examples; not concrete
not applied or practical; theoretical
hard to understand; recondite; abstruse
denoting art characterized by geometric, formalized, or otherwise nonrepresentational qualities
defined in terms of its formal properties: an abstract machine
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
a condensed version of a piece of writing, speech, etc; summary
an abstract term or idea
an abstract painting, sculpture, etc
in the abstract without reference to specific circumstances or practical experience
to think of (a quality or concept) generally without reference to a specific example; regard theoretically
to form (a general idea) by abstraction
(ˈæbstrækt) (also intr) to summarize or epitomize
to remove or extract
euphemistic to steal
Origin of abstract
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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