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abstract

ab·stract [ ab-ˈstrakt]

abstract

noun

[ˈab-ˌstrakt]

Definition of abstract (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : a summary of points (as of a writing) usually presented in skeletal form
also : something that summarizes or concentrates the essentials of a larger thing or several things

2 : an abstract thing or state (see abstract entry 1)

3 : abstraction sense 4a

abstract

adjective

Definition of abstract

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : disassociated from any specific instance
//an abstract entity

b : difficult to understand : abstruse
//abstract problems

c : insufficiently factual : formal
//possessed only an abstract right

2 : expressing a quality apart from an object
//the word poem is concrete, poetry is abstract

3a : dealing with a subject in its abstract aspects : theoretical
//abstract science

b : impersonal, detached the abstract compassion of a surgeon — Time

4 : having only intrinsic form with little or no attempt at pictorial representation or narrative content
//abstract painting

abstract

verb

[ab-ˈstrakt]

abstracted; abstracting; abstracts

Definition of abstract (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to make a summary or abstract of : summarize
//abstract an academic paper

2 : to draw away the attention of His imagination had so abstracted him that his name was called twice before he answered.— James Joyce

3 : steal, purloin
//She abstracted important documents from the safe.

4 : remove, separate

5 : to consider apart from application to or association with a particular instance

intransitive verb

: to make an abstraction

Other Words from abstract

Adjective

abstractly \ ab-ˈstrak(t)-lē , ˈab-ˌstrak(t)- \ adverb

abstractness \ ab-ˈstrak(t)-nəs , ˈab-ˌstrak(t)- \ noun

Verb

abstractable \ ab-ˈstrak-tə-bəl , ˈab-ˌstrak- \ adjective

abstractor or abstracter \ ab-ˈstrak-tər , ˈab-ˌstrak- \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for dainty

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Adjective

Synonyms: Antonyms:adjective

Recent Examples on the Web

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
//Gonzalez produced works that were both figurative and abstract.
— Scott Huddleston, ExpressNews.com, "Unusual find suggests new facet of renowned artist whose work is at San Antonio’s Witte Museum," 1 Nov. 2019
//What’s more, the new genre promised the possibilities of a more abstract and untainted language than what had come before in art history.
— Jillian Steinhauer, The New Republic, "The Art of the Unspeakable," 15 Oct. 2019
//At its most abstract, obfuscation is the production of noise modeled on an existing signal in order to make a collection of data more ambiguous, confusing, harder to exploit, more difficult to act on, and therefore less valuable.
— Finn Brunton, Quartz, "“Opting out” is a myth," 10 Oct. 2019
//His art is infused with colorful abstract geometric shapes and patterns influenced by music and his individual interpretation of folktales from the African Diaspora.
— courant.com, "Community News For The Windsor Edition," 19 Sep. 2019
//Even his most abstract, asymmetrical, unpredictable shapes have balance and harmony.
— Brian T. Allen, National Review, "The American Pavilion in the Venice Biennale: Safe and Sorry," 10 Aug. 2019
//HyperDot’ Tribe Games Easy to learn, but maddeningly cerebrum-busting to master, HyperDot asks you to stay away from all incoming squares, triangles and abstract shapes.
— Washington Post, "Ten under-the-radar games at E3 2019 you need to get excited about right now," 14 June 2019
//Earrings were twisted into abstract shapes (see Sacai, Acne Studios), and Calderisms continue to flourish.
— Vogue, "The 7 Biggest Jewelry Trends of the Fall 2019 Season," 15 Mar. 2019
//Ocasek peppered the band’s songs with buoyant, wildly abstract imagery that never fit any simple pop formula.
— BostonGlobe.com, "Ric Ocasek was a tall, gangly genius who became a master of nonchalance, a savant of alienation, and a beatnik-spiced songwriter the likes of which rock ’n’ roll had rarely seen.," 17 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
//Memory is an important aspect of Tajer’s methodology; his mission is to coax ideas and feelings into the real world, to translate the abstract into something material.
— Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "Casablanca, a New Menswear Line From Paris, Serves Up High Style With Après-Sport Ease," 30 Oct. 2018
//During an 87-day study in Austin, Texas, researchers found 271 people were injured, according to an online abstract of the report.
— Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post, "Denver experiences its first reported fatal scooter crash," 12 Aug. 2019
//The colorful rendering featured yellow, blue, red and green abstracts with unmistakable hand prints throughout.
— Maria Pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Drake Shares Sweet 'Papa' Artwork His Son Adonis Made for Him: 'Happy Father's Day'," 16 June 2019
//The show includes some of Chaudhuri’s small oil abstracts and two videos, including Bose’s poetic linkage of rice and art.
— Washington Post, "In the galleries: The heady works of Soriano at OAS Art Museum of the Americas," 13 Sep. 2019
//Its practitioners are proud of its foundations in micro theory, but this was and is microeconomics based on an abstract and false view of human nature.
— Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, "Real World Economics: ‘Inflation is solved’? Don’t bank on it," 28 July 2019
//At this year’s conference, scientists submitted 229 abstracts that describe or provide results from Alzheimer’s clinical trials or studies.
— Cindy Krischer Goodman, sun-sentinel.com, "New clues about why people get Alzheimer’s and how to fight it," 19 July 2019
//Unconscious bias training is seen by some as too disconnected from day-to-day life at work to be fruitful; arguably, Starbucks found a way to meld the abstract and the concrete, to a degree, with these final, practical tasks.
— Lila Maclellan, Quartz at Work, "What actually happens in bias training seminars?," 11 June 2019
//Guests paraded around the venue in polka dots, shimmering abstracts, and colorful sequins.
— Zachary Schwartz, Vogue, "The Fine Print: Polkadots, Stripes, and More at the Art Production Fund’s Gala," 13 Mar. 2019
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
//In fact, the mathematical toy models that physicists use are good at abstracting things like the relationship between species.
— Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Starving predators survive together, but maybe only in math-land," 27 July 2019
//Jacoby’s creation is one of several that can be seen as abstracted floral arrangements.
— Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, "In the galleries: Pulsating dramas of light and sound," 12 July 2019
//Skolnick’s perching an abstracted dove atop a strongly horizontal guitar neck is both visually arresting and succinctly symbolic.
— Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, "Illustrating the year 1969, when rad met trad," 10 July 2019
//Others are more engaging — especially a 7-foot sheet of small, finely drawn and seemingly made-up and abstracted characters by Kim Jongweon.
— Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "Review: LACMA’s ‘Art of Korean Writing’ reveals the brilliance in each brushstroke," 29 June 2019
//Once again, the woman’s story is consumed and abstracted and diffused into the acrid air.
— Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "The Cruel Paradox at the Heart of E. Jean Carroll’s Allegation Against Trump," 24 June 2019
//Ariel Nava/Lionsgate Collin and Miles’s relationship also allows the movie to carefully but confidently address some of the thornier realities that abstracted political and social arguments often sidestep for convenience’s sake.
— Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "Blindspotting is the rare buddy comedy that tackles social issues. It works.," 19 July 2018
//Her paintings in the museum feature abstracts that explore memories of childhood growing up amid political demonstrations, contrasted with the beauty of the natural world.
— Tom Verde, New York Times, "In Suburban Connecticut, the Palestinian Avant-Garde," 19 Apr. 2018
//And figures like Grace Hopper were formative in abstracting software from hardware — fomenting its emergence as a field in its own right.
— Stephen Phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "New tech books: ‘Conspiracy,’ ‘Broad Band,’ ‘The Truth Machine’," 1 June 2018

First Known Use of abstract

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

History and Etymology for abstract

Adjective

Middle English, "withdrawn, removed, abstruse, extracted from a longer work, (of nouns in grammar) not concrete," borrowed from Medieval Latin abstractus "removed, secluded, incorporeal, universal, extracted from a larger work, summarized," going back to Latin, past participle of abstrahere "to remove forcibly, turn aside, divert," from abs- (variant of ab- ab- before c- and t-) + trahere "to drag, draw, take along" — more at draw entry 1

Noun

Middle English, derivative of abstract abstract entry 1 (or borrowed directly from Medieval Latin abstractus)

Verb

Middle English abstracten "to draw away, remove," derivative of abstract abstract entry 1 (or borrowed directly from Latin abstractus)

Dictionary Entries near abstract

Phrases Related to abstract

in the abstract

More Synonyms and Antonyms ofabstract

Synonyms & Antonyms of abstract

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 dealing with or expressing a quality or idea

the book deals with abstract matters such as honesty and integrity on the job as well as practical subjects such as asking for a raise

Synonyms for abstract

Words Related to abstract

Near Antonyms for abstract

Antonyms for abstract

2 using elements of form (as color, line, or texture) with little or no attempt at creating a realistic picture

Cubism is a style of abstract art in which natural forms are broken up into geometric shapes

Synonyms for abstract

Words Related to abstract

Near Antonyms for abstract

Antonyms for abstract

abstract

noun

Synonyms & Antonyms of abstract (Entry 2 of 3)

1 a short statement of the main points

the scientist wrote a bare-bones abstract of his research and conclusions

Synonyms for abstract

Words Related to abstract

Near Antonyms for abstract

2 a visible representation of something abstract (as a quality)

a recent college valedictorian who's been hailed as the very abstract of what's right with today's young people

Synonyms for abstract

Words Related to abstract

reincarnation

abstract

verb

Synonyms & Antonyms of abstract (Entry 3 of 3)

1 to draw the attention or mind to something else

personal problems abstracted him so persistently that he struggled to keep his mind on his work

Synonyms for abstract

Words Related to abstract

stray,
wander

Near Antonyms for abstract

2 to make into a short statement of the main points (as of a report)

took the 135-page report and abstracted it in three short paragraphs

Synonyms for abstract

Words Related to abstract

Near Antonyms for abstract

More Definitions forabstract

abstract

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of abstract

(Entry 1 of 3)

: relating to or involving general ideas or qualities rather than specific people, objects, or actions

of art : expressing ideas and emotions by using elements such as colors and lines without attempting to create a realistic picture

abstract

noun

English Language Learners Definition of abstract (Entry 2 of 3)

: a brief written statement of the main points or facts in a longer report, speech, etc.

: an abstract work of art (such as a painting)

abstract

verb

English Language Learners Definition of abstract (Entry 3 of 3)

: to make a summary of the main parts of (a report, speech, etc.) : to make an abstract of (something)

: to obtain or remove (something) from a source

chiefly British, humorous : to steal (something)

abstract

adjective

ab·stract | \ ˈab-ˌstrakt \

Kids Definition of abstract

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : hard to understand
//abstract problems

2 : relating to general ideas or qualities rather than specific people, things, or actions
//“Honesty” is an abstract word.

abstract

noun

ab·stract | \ ˈab-ˌstrakt \

Kids Definition of abstract (Entry 2 of 3)

: summary entry 2

abstract

verb

ab·stract | \ ab-ˈstrakt \

abstracted; abstracting

Kids Definition of abstract (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : to take away : separate
//Certain information was abstracted from the records.

2 : summarize

abstract

noun

ab·stract | \ ˈab-ˌstrakt \

Medical Definition of abstract

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a written summary of the key points especially of a scientific paper

2 : a pharmaceutical preparation made by mixing a powdered solid extract of a vegetable substance with lactose in such proportions that one part of the final product represents two parts of the original drug from which the extract was made

abstract

transitive verb

ab·stract | \ ˈab-ˌstrakt , ab-ˈ \

Medical Definition of abstract (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make an abstract of

abstract

noun

ab·stract | \ ˈab-ˌstrakt \

Legal Definition of abstract

1 : a summary of a legal document

2 : abstract of title