51łÔčÏ

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View synonyms for

abstract

[ab-strakt, ab-strakt, ab-strakt, ab-strakt, ab-strakt]

adjective

  1. thought of apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.

    an abstract idea.

  2. expressing a quality or characteristic apart from any specific object or instance, as justice, poverty, and speed.

  3. not applied or practical; theoretical.

    abstract science.

  4. difficult to understand; abstruse.

    abstract speculations.

  5. Fine Arts.Ìę

    1. 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.

    2. Often Abstract pertaining to the nonrepresentational art styles of the 20th century.



noun

  1. a summary of a text, scientific article, document, speech, etc.; epitome.

  2. something that concentrates in itself the essential qualities of anything more extensive or more general, or of several things; essence.

  3. an idea or term considered apart from some material basis or object.

  4. an abstract work of art.

verb (used with object)

  1. to make an abstract of; summarize.

  2. to draw or take away; remove.

  3. to divert or draw away the attention of.

  4. to steal.

  5. to consider as a general quality or characteristic apart from specific objects or instances.

    to abstract the notions of time, space, and matter.

abstract

adjective

  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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a condensed version of a piece of writing, speech, etc; summary

  2. an abstract term or idea

  3. an abstract painting, sculpture, etc

  4. without reference to specific circumstances or practical experience

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to think of (a quality or concept) generally without reference to a specific example; regard theoretically

  2. to form (a general idea) by abstraction

  3. (also intr) to summarize or epitomize

  4. to remove or extract

  5. euphemisticÌęto steal

“Collins 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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Other 51łÔčÏ Forms

  • abstracter noun
  • abstractly adverb
  • abstractness noun
  • nonabstract adjective
  • nonabstractly adverb
  • nonabstractness noun
  • overabstract verb (used with object)
  • preabstract adjective
  • superabstract adjective
  • superabstractly adverb
  • superabstractness noun
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51łÔčÏ History and Origins

Origin of abstract1

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: “withdrawn from worldly interests,” from Latin abstractus “drawn off” (past participle of abstrahere ). See abs-, tract 1
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51łÔčÏ History and Origins

Origin of abstract1

C14: (in the sense: extracted): from Latin abstractus drawn off, removed from (something specific), from abs- ab- 1 + trahere to draw
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. abstract away from, to omit from consideration.

  2. in the abstract, without reference to a specific object or instance; in theory.

    beauty in the abstract.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Elsewhere in the exhibition, one could see abstract paintings in the "Insanity Room."

From

If texting Dorn descriptions of scents seemed too abstract for me, a podcast seems like an even more difficult medium to describe scent.

From

The exhibition features a new body of work Sutherland created from 2024 to 2025, including large-scale abstract paintings, collage that weaves together drawings, photographs, stickers and found images, and sculpture.

From

It goes on to say that Palestinians "are not the abstract victims of an abstract war".

From

The "strategic position" of the dot has led scientists to see it as evidence of Neanderthals' "symbolic behaviour", suggesting they had the ability to think about things in an abstract way.

From

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Related 51łÔčÏs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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abstr.abstract algebra