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
And there may be other works whose abstracts are available to the ambitious student.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)There were formerly published Abstracts of several law books.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)Papers were read at its meetings, abstracts being published in the London professional journals.
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army | Charles Alexander GordonHere it is divided in thin streams and directed against comparatively cool metal which abstracts the heat from the water.
Aviation Engines | Victor Wilfred PagThis fact can be verified by studying abstracts from the State Superintendents' reports for this period.
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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