abstract

American  

[ab-strakt, ab-strakt, ab-strakt, ab-strakt, ab-strakt] / æbˈstrækt, ˈæb strækt, ˈæb strækt, æbˈstrækt, ˈæb strækt /

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.

   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.

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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)

abstracts, present (3rd person singular) abstracted, past participle, past abstracting present participle

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.

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.

abstract British  

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

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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

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. euphemistic to steal

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have abstracted
  perfect
• has abstracted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• am abstracting
  progressive 1st person singular
• are abstracting
  progressive
• have been abstracting
  perfect progressive
• has been abstracting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• abstracts
  singular 3rd person
• is abstracting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• abstracting
  participle

Past

• had abstracted
  perfect
• had been abstracting
  perfect progressive
• abstracted
  participle
• were abstracting
  progressive plural
• abstracted
  simple
• was abstracting
  progressive singular

Future

• will abstract
  simple
• will have abstracted
  perfect
• will be abstracting
  progressive
• will have been abstracting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of abstract

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

Explanation

Use the adjective abstract for something that is not a material object or is general and not based on specific examples. Abstract is from a Latin word meaning "pulled away, detached," and the basic idea is of something detached from physical, or concrete, reality. It is frequently used of ideas, meaning that they don't have a clear applicability to real life, and of art, meaning that it doesn't pictorially represent reality. It is also used as a noun, especially in the phrase "in the abstract" (a joke has a person laying down a new sidewalk saying "I like little boys in the abstract, but not in the concrete"), and as a verb (accented on the second syllable), meaning "to remove."

Example Sentences

Black and Indigenous Americans, labor organizers, immigrants, queer people, political dissidents, abuse survivors, and countless others have discovered that rights celebrated in the abstract can evaporate when exercised against the wrong forces.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026

"That's when quantum effects stop being abstract and start becoming useful -- supporting future applications ranging from self-powered sensors and wearable technology to ultra-fast components for next-generation wireless networks."

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026

But then he turned to more abstract painting, and European interest in his work dropped off.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

On one weekend in Tokyo, hundreds of visitors flocked to a zine fair showcasing a wide range of handmade magazines in different sizes and formats -- some incorporating abstract designs, photography or personal monologues.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

In six weeks it would be an actual thing out there in the world, about halfway to completion, not just an abstract concept.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• abstruse
• hypothetical
• philosophical
• unreal