abstraction

noun

ab·​strac·​tion ab-ˈstrak-shən How to pronounce abstraction (audio)
əb-
1
a
: 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
4
a
: an abstract composition or creation in art
abstractional adjective
abstractive
ab-ˈstrak-tiv How to pronounce abstraction (audio)
ˈab-ˌstrak-
adjective

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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.
Recent Examples on the Web Design-wise, this tapestry lands somewhere between innovation, abstraction, and art. Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2024 An abstraction of Recall's new security architecture, which replaces the old, largely nonexistent security architecture. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 27 Sep. 2024 The gallery also sold a 2023 Georg Baselitz painting for €1 million ($1.1 million), two abstractions by Martha Jungwirth for €300,000 ($332,261), a Lee Kang-So for ₩250,000,000 ($180,000), and a David Salle painting for $50,000. Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Sep. 2024 Although language is one theme, Pedrosa’s new mapping of the globe centers also on abstraction and figuration. Sara Raza, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for abstraction 

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

Word History

Etymology

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 abstractiōn-, abstractiō, from Latin abstrac- (variant stem of abstrahere "to remove forcibly") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at abstract entry 1

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of abstraction was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near abstraction

Cite this Entry

“Abstraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abstraction. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

abstraction

noun
ab·​strac·​tion ab-ˈstrak-shən How to pronounce abstraction (audio)
1
a
: the act or process of abstracting : the state of being abstracted
b
: an abstract idea or term
2
: an artistic composition or creation having designs that do not represent actual objects
abstractive adjective

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