semiabstract

adjective

semi·​ab·​stract ˌse-mē-ab-ˈstrakt How to pronounce semiabstract (audio)
-ˈab-ˌstrakt,
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-
: having subject matter that is easily recognizable although the form is stylized
semiabstract art
semiabstraction
ˌse-mē-ab-ˈstrak-shən How to pronounce semiabstract (audio)
ˌse-ˌmī-
-mi-
noun

Examples of semiabstract in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Marks’s street pictures are bright and bustling, conveying urban action with garish colors and people who blur into semiabstract shapes. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2019 What resulted was a semiabstract tangle of expressionist images: fires burning, hooded figures converging, a pair of lifeless legs hanging. New York Times, 10 June 2019 Inside, the walls of the white cube space are lined with Ms. Dodd’s gorgeously semiabstract paintings, made with funky materials like cuttlefish ink, black tea, plant and flower extracts and kombucha scoby (a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). New York Times, 10 May 2018 Sara Outing’s set, with its semiabstract array of empty frames, underlines the question, with contributions from Alyssandra Docherty’s sensitive lighting and Larry Fowler’s sound design. Julia M. Klein, Philly.com, 12 Oct. 2017 Gallery 209 opening and reception Sculptor Gordon E. Lyon exhibits semiabstract works to actual subjects along with 11 other artists, whose work ranges from abstract to realism. Washington Post, 31 May 2017 The formula was basic: to carve wood into small, semiabstract forms resembling spoons, chess pieces, African sculptures (and works by Brancusi and Giacometti), bones, bobbins, balls, melon slices, sand dollars and toy boats. Roberta Smith, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'semiabstract.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of semiabstract was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near semiabstract

Cite this Entry

“Semiabstract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiabstract. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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