abstract 1 of 3

Definition of abstractnext

abstract

2 of 3

noun

abstract

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to distract
to draw the attention or mind to something else personal problems abstracted him so persistently that he struggled to keep his mind on his work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abstract
Adjective
What the purity milestones mean in practice Rare earth element purity is not an abstract metric. Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026 For many Venezuelans, the anger is rooted not in abstract politics but in intensely personal experiences of chaos, helplessness and institutional failure. Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
Noun
The disillusioned 32% aren’t angry in the abstract. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 June 2026 But in his hands, these forms were never neutral, blank, or abstract. Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026
Verb
Beginning in the eighteen-nineties, Karl Blossfeldt took closeups of plants abstracted from their environments, making visible the art of their natural curlicues and reticulations. Max Norman, New Yorker, 21 May 2026 For The Landing Daybed, Torres abstracted the catenary curves of bridge suspension cables for the arched legs. Diana Budds, Architectural Digest, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for abstract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstract
Adjective
  • When people see that scams can be built around them specifically, security habits stop feeling theoretical and start feeling necessary.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • After machine learning identified promising candidates, researchers verified them through theoretical calculations before synthesizing and experimentally confirming the materials.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026
Adjective
  • Dreams of Violets can feel disjointed in spots, but perhaps not more than any impressionistic movie about a crisis.
    Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026
  • Mann directs with a dreamy, almost impressionistic hand that feels right at home alongside his more polished later work.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026
Noun
  • Although the court livestreams the audio of oral arguments, that’s not the case for the summaries the justices give of their opinions.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • The three liberal justices dissented as to the Equal Protection Clause, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor read a summary of her dissent from the bench.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • Your question is a manifestation of handwringing, and so, yeah, a lot of people don’t pay attention to it, and that’s okay, and a lot of people do, and that’s better.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 July 2026
  • Meta’s compute business is also the latest manifestation of the circular economy in the AI race, like SpaceX’s recent decision to rent out data center space to Anthropic.
    Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Efforts to organize and tidy often turned into sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of stuff and getting easily distracted with sentimental finds.
    Nishaa Sharma, The Spruce, 29 June 2026
  • But that was a bit ago, and there is a theory now that perhaps this is starting to leak, or maybe be confirmed soon, to distract from the recent, very poor performance of Supergirl in theaters.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • Large language models can summarize sentiment, identify recurring themes and use guest feedback to shape recommendations.
    Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Why Lawrence, Kansas ranks high The article goes into the history of Lawrence, summarizing the establishment of the town by abolitionists, political violence, and being a stop for the Underground Railroad.
    Emily Harter, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Adjective
  • In both the real and metaphysical locations of the show, the backgrounds are all painted by hand, something which was pointed out took up a lot of time due to the number of paintings in the show and due to the number of montages.
    Kambole Campbell, Variety, 25 June 2026
  • In the 18th century Samuel Johnson coined the term metaphysical poets to criticize Donne, John Cleveland, and Abraham Cowley.
    René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 June 2026
Adjective
  • As Maher walked on stage to receive his award from 2014 awardee Leno, up stepped impressionist Friend from the audience to interrupt the proceedings.
    Paul Harris, Variety, 29 June 2026
  • Don't miss the renowned impressionist collection with paintings by Monet and van Gogh.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 30 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Abstract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstract. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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