1 abstraction | Definition of abstraction
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

abstraction

noun
ab·​strac·​tion | \ ab-ˈstrak-shən How to pronounce abstraction (audio) , əb-\

Definition of abstraction

1a : the act or process of abstracting : the state of being abstracted
b : an abstract idea or term
2 : absence of mind or preoccupation
3 : abstract quality or character
4a : an abstract composition or creation in art
b : abstractionism
Other Words from abstraction Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about abstraction

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from abstraction

abstractional \ -​shnəl How to pronounce abstractional (audio) , -​shə-​nᔊl \ adjective
abstractive \ ab-​ˈstrak-​tiv How to pronounce abstractive (audio) , ˈab-​ˌ \ adjective

Did You Know?

From its roots, abstraction should mean basically "something pulled or drawn away". So abstract art is art that has moved away from painting objects of the ordinary physical world in order to show something beyond it. Theories are often abstractions; so a theory about economics, for instance, may "pull back" to take a broad view that somehow explains all of economics (but maybe doesn't end up explaining any of it very successfully). An abstract of a medical or scientific article is a one-paragraph summary of its contents—that is, the basic findings "pulled out" of the article.

Examples of abstraction in a Sentence

abstraction of data from hospital records “Beauty” and “truth” are abstractions. She gazed out the window in abstraction.
See More

Recent Examples on the Web

 But unlike a lot of hard-edge abstraction, the stripes vary serendipitously in width and intensity. — Sharon Mizota, Los Angeles Times, "For these 20 women artists, ‘Rapunzel’ and ‘Dyketactics’ are just the beginning," 16 Aug. 2019 Ranging from realism to abstraction, their work varies in other ways as well. — Mike Giuliano, baltimoresun.com, "Artists converge at Meeting House Gallery in Columbia," 9 Aug. 2019 These stark scenes, with lots of passages of white-on-white set against blue skies, slow how smoothly realism elides into abstraction. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, "The Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition Takes a Traditional Turn," 13 July 2019 For the Ifugao, scientific procedures and international health standards can feel like abstractions from another belief system being imposed on their own. — Carlo Gabuco, National Geographic, "Death rituals help restless spirits find peace in the Philippines," 9 Apr. 2019 Turner launched the frontier into pure abstraction. — Christopher Tayler, Harper's magazine, "New Books," 10 Mar. 2019 Then came photography, then abstraction, then a new world order. — Julia Felsenthal, Vogue, "Searching for Myself in Alice Neel’s Radical Portraits," 26 Feb. 2019 And this is abstraction in the extreme: no story line, no overt commentary on the Believers’ ideals or practices. — Janine Parker, BostonGlobe.com, "The simple gift of the Shaker experience, reimagined in dance," 11 July 2019 But in those days, one had to love for the sake of some abstraction, against the backdrop of it. — Sarah Vitali, Harper's magazine, "Kill Your Darlings," 10 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abstraction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of abstraction

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for abstraction

borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French, "abduction (of a woman), removal, extraction (of a foreign body from a wound), (in philosophy) process by which the mind is able to form universal representations of the properties of distinct objects," borrowed from Late Latin abstractiƍn-, abstractiƍ, from Latin abstrac- (variant stem of abstrahere "to remove forcibly") + -tiƍn-, -tiƍ, suffix of action nouns — more at abstract entry 1

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for abstraction

abstraction

noun
How to pronounce abstraction (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of abstraction

: the act of obtaining or removing something from a source : the act of abstracting something
formal : a general idea or quality rather than an actual person, object, or event : an abstract idea or quality
somewhat formal : the state of someone who is not paying attention to what is happening or being said : an abstracted state

See the full definition for abstraction in the English Language Learners Dictionary

abstraction

noun
ab·​strac·​tion | \ ab-ˈstrak-shən How to pronounce abstraction (audio) \

Kids Definition of abstraction

1 : the act of summarizing : the state of being summarized
2 : a thought or thoughts about general qualities or ideas rather than people or things

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on abstraction

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with abstraction

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for abstraction

Spanish Central: Translation of abstraction

Nglish: Translation of abstraction for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of abstraction for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about abstraction

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!