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
But this abstract legal principle didn't immediately create a market. Vito Emanuel, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026 The Valpo Chamber design features some abstract designs along with icons evocative of Valparaiso, including Orville Redenbacher, the photogenic pedestrian bridge at Rogers Lakewood Park, ice cream and more. Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 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
  • David Sloan is a theoretical physicist at Lancaster University and the Chief Scientific Officer of the Foundational Questions Institute.
    Big Think, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Far from being a theoretical threat, at least one active attack is already exploiting the mixup.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • There is something in the string arrangement that sounds a bit impressionistic to me, but also profoundly Mexican, with the trumpets doubling the violin lines.
    Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • It’s presented as an impressionistic historical montage, of Black farmworkers and the land, with clips of Black history that include modern suburbs, and a woman—Z herself—who gazes out of a door into a sere expanse of land bordered by low mountains.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • OpenAI says the summary may not display every detail the system can draw from your past conversations.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The full results of that investigation were never made public, only a summary.
    Veronica Ortega, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Pursued by monstrous entities and confronted by manifestations of human suffering, Dante and Virgil will eventually come face to face with the Devil himself.
    Ed Meza, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
  • But as the brand continues to grow, dealing with the manifestation of a dream is quite nice.
    Judith Garrison, AJC.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Nothing will keep you from sleeping or distract you from studying like itchy bug bites or the constant sneezing and drippy nose of seasonal allergies.
    Dr. Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The long seven-month offseason has been filled with congressional legislation, eligibility lawsuits, CFP expansion and plenty of other storylines that have distracted from the product on the field.
    Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • To summarize Tua Tagovailoa’s six years with the Miami Dolphins is not simple.
    Greg Cote August 27, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Fuller’s ideas are hard to summarize, but always seem to reach toward a utopian vision of escaping the drudgery of everyday life.
    Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Eddy has been spared the worst violence; the novel casts his racial privilege as a kind of metaphysical exemption.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • There seems to be a deliberate effort here to make the show more fun without dumbing down its metaphysical and philosophical implications.
    Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The exhibit of impressionist Vincent Van Gogh’s work combined moving images and music.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Reading Europe’s fate through the lives of two French sisters in a famous impressionist portrait.
    Luke Lyman, Washington Post, 13 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Abstract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstract. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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