Definition of abstractnext
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
Newspapers and books also joined the dots between apparently disconnected events and items of gossip, helping readers to see their problems in abstract, systemic and political terms. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 Above, the abstract faces of a mural created by Swedish artist Emelie Törling gazed down upon the patrons. — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
With that, designers are creating unexpected pairings, such as marrying it to a graphic abstract, adding a splash of leopard, or even swathing an entire space in a single ivy-forward pattern. — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 July 2026 The company invests heavily in identifying candidates whose skills, work style, and professional outlook align with the specific client they’re being hired for, not just the role in the abstract. — William Jones, USA Today, 18 June 2026
Verb
Helios also comes with a software stack that abstracts its user’s intentions from the actual qubit hardware. — ArsTechnica, 17 June 2026 The woodcut birth figures contained in these books were not images drawn from observation—pregnant cadavers for anatomical drawing were hard to come by—but were instead abstracted diagrams of the chaotic diversity of laboring bodies. — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for abstract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstract
Adjective
  • Drawing on the theoretical work of economist Hyman Minsky, Kindleberger went through centuries of economic history and saw a recurring pattern.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026
  • There are scores of results across not just number theory but also geometry and theoretical computer science that the proofs of quasi-Riemann will, in a swift stroke, establish as mathematical truths.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Inevitably, much of that knowledge was still undigested and poorly sorted; as a result the planet, viewed from Europe, must have seemed a rather impressionistic and formless place.
    — Ian Tattersall, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026
  • As Pattinson spends a long night trying to rescue his brother, the Safdies weave a nightmarish, impressionistic vision of New York that ranks among the most unsettling cinematic depictions of the city.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Charms on a bracelet sold through TikTok Shop, also advertised as sterling silver, contained about 33% cadmium, roughly 3,300 times the limit, according to trade publication JCK’s summary of the report.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Pew Research Center found that users clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, compared with 15% without one.
    — Mark van Berkel, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The store was designed by Storage Milano in partnership with Tommasi Bardelle and is a physical manifestation of the brand.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • While invisible themselves, these cosmic behemoths reveal their presence by bending the light of nearby objects, and the Black Hole Hunters project is searching for one specific manifestation of this effect.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Know when to ask for another ball and try your best not to be distracted by a nice rack.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The compelling series achieves a provocative dissection of it all with rare confidence without the overindulgence of distracting CGI tossed in for sheer spectacle.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That’s how one top Netflix insider summarized another bloody Monday at the streamer, which saw Dan Lin ousted as the company’s head of film.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Related Stories InCheck reports summarize how a factory’s chemical inventory conforms to ZDHC’s Manufacturing Restricted Substances List, or MRSL.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The latter perhaps most acutely reflected such dominant motifs in Gibson’s midcareer work as female figures, birds, and metaphysical reflectors.
    — The Editors of ARTnews, ARTnews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The best moments on records like Redemption, Blackheart, and Second Line use her knack for grand, metaphysical metaphors to charge her singing with epic stakes.
    — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Two paintings by impressionist master Pierre-Auguste Renoir, stolen from a museum in southern France and later discovered hidden behind a wall, have sustained slight damage, prosecutors said on Monday.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In 2013, Kardashian’s then-husband Kanye West gifted her a Hermès Birkin bag for Christmas that featured an impressionist painting of nudes by artist George Condo.
    — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Abstract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstract. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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