Existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence
“Wilber has failed to attract a mainstream audience because his writing is so often abstract in nature.”
Difficult to understand or conceptualize
“The wholly abstract fact is prior to, and simpler than, the propositions of which it is the logical form.”
Relating to or denoting art that does not attempt to represent external reality directly
“Both legs and abstract shapes contribute to an almost painterly overall compositional effect.”
Existing only in the imagination
Not able to work or function as expected
Without human warmth or sympathy
Exceptional or superior beyond the ordinary
Difficult or impossible to define or describe
Symbolic or metaphorical in nature
(of text) Shortened or abridged in length
Of great excellence, grandeur or beauty
Artistic style characterized by abstract, geometric, and modern forms
Evasive or deliberately ambiguous in nature
Unnatural or unauthentic in appearance or depiction
A summary of the contents of a book, article, or speech
“An abstract of this article has been recently published online.”
A figure intended to represent an abstract quality
“Philosophically speaking, a judge without an equipage might be the very abstract of piety or of uprightness.”
A short passage taken from a text, film, music, or other creative work
Writings published on a particular subject, typically academic in nature
To take away from
“Intakes of this type are designed to abstract a large proportion of the water available.”
To make a written summary of (an article or book)
“You'll need to abstract the published articles into a concise synopsis.”
(abstract something from) To consider abstractly or theoretically
“Aristotle held that mathematicians abstract the notions of quantity and dimension from the sensibly given.”
To divert one's mind or attention (to something else)
“His personal problems would abstract him persistently throughout the day.”
(euphemistic) To steal or remove without permission
“In his pockets were all that he had been able to abstract from the apartment.”
To separate or force apart
To subtract or take away an amount from another
To cite or reference
To leave or withdraw from a commitment or responsibility
To represent in a particular style
To keep apart or separate from others
To dismiss from a job
Related Words and Phrases
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