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
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.
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 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

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of semiabstract was in 1871

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Semiabstract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiabstract. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!