abstraction

[ ab-strak-shuh n ]

/ æbˈstræk ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abstraction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an abstract or general idea or term.

the act of considering something as a general quality or characteristic, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.

an impractical idea; something visionary and unrealistic.

the act of taking away or separating; withdrawal: The sensation of cold is due to the abstraction of heat from our bodies.

secret removal, especially theft.

absent-mindedness; inattention; mental absorption.

Fine Arts.

the abstract qualities or characteristics of a work of art.
a work of art, especially a nonrepresentational one, stressing formal relationships.

Nearby words

abstract space, abstract thinking, abstracted, abstracting journal, abstracting service, abstraction, abstractionism, abstractionist, abstractive, abstractively, abstractly

Origin of abstraction

1540–50; < Late Latin abstractiōn- (stem of abstractiō) separation. See abstract, -ion

Related formsab·strac·tion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for abstraction

It frustrated her to hear other students discussing death as an abstraction, subject to simple moral rules.
The Nurse Coaching People Through Death by Starvation|Nick Tabor|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is this kind of abstraction that leads to more mythology, more heroic narratives, more undertones of patriotic martyrdom.
War Is About More Than Heroes, Martyrs, and Patriots|Nathan Bradley Bethea|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the many portraits, Picasso oscillates between naturalism and abstraction in his portraits of Jacqueline.
Revealing The Unseen Picasso|Justin Jones|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Democrats have to stop allowing Republicans to define the election as an up or down vote on an abstraction called Obamacare.
Democrats Must Run on Obamacare in November|Robert Shrum|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Only someone already painfully unable to deal with abstraction would draw such a suicidal conclusion.
Richard Hofstadter and America’s New Wave of Anti-Intellectualism|David Masciotra|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How much has been written on abstraction, generalization, and universals!
Fundamental Philosophy, Vol. I (of 2)|Jaime Luciano Balmes
Was it—could it be—some strange influence of the mind caused by constantly dwelling upon the abstraction of the poor-box money?
A Little World|George Manville Fenn
She saw that he seemed preoccupied, 233 and sought to draw him out of his abstraction.
Whispering Smith|Frank H. Spearman
This abstraction of vital power is frequently observed in young females married to very old men.
Curiosities of Medical Experience|J. G. (John Gideon) Millingen
Our companions were soon roused from their abstraction by the very unpleasant circumstances, and we hastily took counsel together.
Autumn Leaves|Various

British Dictionary definitions for abstraction

abstraction

/ (æbˈstrækʃən) /

noun

absence of mind; preoccupation

the process of formulating generalized ideas or concepts by extracting common qualities from specific examples

an idea or concept formulated in this waygood and evil are abstractions

logic an operator that forms a class name or predicate from any given expressionSee also lambda calculus

an abstract painting, sculpture, etc

the act of withdrawing or removing

Derived Formsabstractive, adjectiveabstractively, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for abstraction

abstraction

c.1400, "withdrawal from worldly affairs, asceticism," from Old French abstraction (14c.), from Latin abstractionem (nominative abstractio), noun of action from past participle stem of abstrahere (see abstract (adj.)). Meaning "idea of something that has no actual existence" is from 1640s.

Medicine definitions for abstraction

abstraction

[ ăb-străk′shən, əb- ]

n.

Distillation or separation of the volatile constituents of a substance.

Exclusive mental concentration; absent-mindedness.

A malocclusion in which the teeth or associated structures are lower than their normal occlusal plane.

The selection of a certain aspect of a concept from the whole.

abstraction

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of abstraction

Examples from the Web for abstraction

British Dictionary definitions for abstraction

abstraction

noun

Word Origin and History for abstraction

abstraction

Medicine definitions for abstraction

abstraction

n.