abstract number

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. a number that does not designate the quantity of any particular kind of thing.

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Etymology

Origin of abstract number

First recorded in 1550–60

Example Sentences

Behind the abstract number of people in jail on a given day, there are millions of human beings who cycle in and out of jail each year, racking up unpayable fines, losing their jobs, their children, their health and even their lives.

From The Guardian

But as with all statistics, the abstract number can obscure the human toll.

From Salon

If you think about the global economy and the challenge for finance ministers in developed countries, I’m not sure that an abstract number like $100bn is helpful.

From The Guardian

This suggests that we somehow link abstract number representations in the brain with movement in space.

From The Guardian

Very quickly we can see that matter of goal-setting isn’t some abstract number that is a guardrail but it is bound up in our assessments of risk and of willingness to pay for abatement as well as bear risk.

From New York Times