abridged
Americanadjective
-
(of a book, document, presentation, etc.) shortened by omitting less important parts while retaining the basic content.
I didn't realize it was an abridged audiobook until I was surprised by how fast it was over.
-
reduced or lessened in duration, scope, authority, etc.; diminished or curtailed.
Any time anyone's opportunity to vote is hampered, we need to do whatever we can to see that those abridged rights are faced, challenged, and changed.
verb
Etymology
Origin of abridged
Explanation
An abridged version of a book is a shortened version: it's not complete because parts have been cut or omitted. Sometimes you have time to read all of something, but other times you don't. When you need to save time, you might need to look at an abridged version of a book. This is also called the "Reader's Digest version" of something, because that magazine publishes many abridged pieces. Reading an abridged text may save time, but don't kid yourself: the stuff left out was important too. If you really like an author, forget the abridged version and read the whole thing.
Vocabulary lists containing abridged
"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Eight
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The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
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Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It also happens to be a marvelously made movie, though the elder Kazan focused solely on the fourth and final section of the novel, leaving it not just abridged but a bit adrift.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
In 1991, Knopf published an abridged version of the journals with the Cheever family’s assistance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
This followed a 13-part, 13-hour series—Vietnam: A Television History—that premiered on PBS over 30 years earlier, in 1983, before being rebroadcast in abridged form on public television’s American Experience in 1997.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2025
What I have provided hardly qualifies as a synthesis but more as an abridged list of a few messages that may emerge if we stop and reflect.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2025
The brief but powerful text read, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
