abstraction

American  

[ab-strak-shuhn] / æbˈstræk ʃən /

noun

1. an abstract or general idea or term.

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

3. an impractical idea; something visionary and unrealistic.

4. the act of taking away or separating; withdrawal.

   The sensation of cold is due to the abstraction of heat from our bodies.

5. secret removal, especially theft.

6. absent-mindedness; inattention; mental absorption.

7. Fine Arts.

   1. the abstract qualities or characteristics of a work of art.

   2. a work of art, especially a nonrepresentational one, stressing formal relationships.

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abstraction British  

/ æbˈstrækʃən /

noun

1. absence of mind; preoccupation

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

3. an idea or concept formulated in this way

   good and evil are abstractions

4. logic an operator that forms a class name or predicate from any given expression See also lambda calculus

5. an abstract painting, sculpture, etc

6. the act of withdrawing or removing

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Other Word Forms

• abstractional adjective
• abstractive adjective
• abstractively adverb

Etymology

Origin of abstraction

First recorded in 1540–50; from Late Latin abstractiōn-, stem of abstractiō “separation,” literally, “a drawing off,” from abstract(us) “drawn off” + -iō noun suffix; abstract -ion

Example Sentences

Long existing beyond the boundaries of race, nationhood and categorical art movements, Lam produced a range of work, including graphic design, book illustrations, large Jackson Pollock-inspired abstractions, and expressionistic ceramics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kainerugaba has in the past downplayed some of his remarks as "musings" and "abstractions" that do not need to be taken seriously.

From BBC

In recent weeks, that warning has moved beyond the point of abstraction.

From Barron's

In the final gallery, African-American art realigns with mainstream trends toward abstraction and color fields.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet Münter has long been overshadowed by contemporaries like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who veered into acerbic expressionism, and Wassily Kandinsky, who migrated toward pure abstraction.

From The Wall Street Journal