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
Then get creative with abstract lines using a darker brown polish to mimic the swirling patterns of coffee. — Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 18 Sep. 2026 For those of us who grew up as women in Iran, the compulsory wearing of a hijab has never been an abstract political issue. — Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
The research is an abstract that hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal, but was presented in May at Digestive Disease Week, a prestigious annual meeting for professionals in gastroenterology, hepatology and related fields. — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 8 June 2026 The potential of McDavid and Matthews becoming available is a concept that still very much exists in the abstract. — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 5 June 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
  • In fact, the ability to see the curve from 25 meters away may only hold in perfect theoretical conditions—such as a single high-contrast line on a two-dimensional surface.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
  • This lowers the cost of the trade and increases the position's theoretical probability of profit to ~56%.
    — Julia Spina, CNBC, 22 Sep. 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
  • One Moments entry showed me a summary of my past week, describing a pretty uneventful time with downright purple prose.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Bain & Company found that 80% of consumers now rely on AI summaries for at least 40% of their searches, and that organic traffic has fallen 15% to 25% as a result.
    — Boris Dzhingarov, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The 1905 law explicitly mentions religious ceremonies, processions and other outdoor manifestations as subject to the ordinary rules governing public order.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Beale, his hands on his hips, turned to face Sigcho-Lopez in the latest manifestation of the bad blood underpinning the council’s deep philosophical divisions.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The text was crisp and easy to read, the matte display minimized distracting reflections, and the ink paper mode made reading comfortable.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Some belongings are too personal, while others require an extra layer of protection Realtors can’t provide, and a few seemingly harmless items can distract buyers from your home entirely.
    — Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • If everyone summarizes the same earnings call with similar models and reaches the same conclusion, speed to consensus is an efficiency gain, but consensus is the opposite of edge.
    — Mamadou-Abou Sarr, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Yet Marcon’s works defy old-world tempos with their pacing (the shots in Monelle, 2017, last no more than a second each), their length (several clock in at under five minutes), and, of course, the seeming ease with which they can be summarized.
    — Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Lee’s lines have the intimacy and metaphysical heft of prayer; their elegant recursions and repetitions call to mind the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Dürrenmatt is more focused on moral than metaphysical questions.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Founded in 1960 and renovated in the 2010s, the museum in the south of France celebrates the work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, an impressionist painter who died in 1919.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The exhibit of impressionist Vincent Van Gogh’s work combined moving images and music.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Abstract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstract. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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