as in idea
something imagined or pictured in the mind
to a people who have lived under one dictatorship after another, democracy and freedom are mere abstractions
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Recent Examples of abstraction
The clouds, which will hang past the security gates, are by Tomás Saraceno, an Argentine who builds abstractions of clouds and spiderwebs.
—
Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 27 Oct. 2025
Its abstraction feels less evasive than connective, demanding engagement with the core fear rather than the distraction of specifics; the threat can no longer be imagined as some specific other — some other government, some other madman.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Whereas therapy looks backward to heal, and self-help often floats in abstraction, Space of mind looks forward, quantifying how identity, beliefs, and emotions evolve over time.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Generations of creatives have been inspired by African tribal art, from Pablo Picasso’s stylized abstractions to Amedeo Modigliani’s masklike portraits.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 27 Oct. 2025
Its abstraction feels less evasive than connective, demanding engagement with the core fear rather than the distraction of specifics; the threat can no longer be imagined as some specific other — some other government, some other madman.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Whereas therapy looks backward to heal, and self-help often floats in abstraction, Space of mind looks forward, quantifying how identity, beliefs, and emotions evolve over time.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Generations of creatives have been inspired by African tribal art, from Pablo Picasso’s stylized abstractions to Amedeo Modigliani’s masklike portraits.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstraction
Noun
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Like most fiction, it’s made up of experiences, imagination, ideas, memories, emotions, speculation, knowledge and research.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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Original sketches, color swatches and archival images tracing the history of yoga wear — which went from loose to form-fitting — along with rolls of Align fabric offered a visual display of how Align evolved from an idea into a global franchise over a decade.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Always Greener, which scored 15 nominations on the annual Brit List, is a high concept script that follows a struggling artist, haunted by past failure, who is given a one-in-a-million chance to become his rich and successful doppelganger from a parallel universe.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
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The challengers are also trying to channel the conservative justices’ skepticism about whether the Constitution allows other parts of the government to use powers reserved for Congress, a concept known as the nondelegation doctrine.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Farrell and Kidman are outstanding, even as Lanthimos' ritualistic plotting and direction keep them hemmed into their characters' rigid conceptions.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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In total, making the piece took four years from conception to creation.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Even more poignant, however, is the Rosemary's Baby angle, where the innocence of childhood is drowned in blood and the notion that a young person reared in a loving environment should develop into a compassionate adult is perverted into unthinkable horror.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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This mismatch between perception and reality has real consequences, fueling the notion that higher education as a whole is elitist and out of touch, hiding the work of the colleges that educate millions of working- and middle-class families.—
Yolanda Watson Spiva,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Want to send thoughts or suggestions to Fortune Tech?—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
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While speaking with Fox News Digital, celebrity matchmaker and relationship expert Alessandra Conti shared her thoughts on Aniston's choice to date a non-celebrity after her series of famous exes.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Sixers took the season opener in Boston 117-116, thanks to a Tyrese Maxey 40-piece and VJ Edgecombe’s Wilt Chamberlain impression.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
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Driving impressions Fuel economy for the most efficient front-drive models is 33 mpg in the city, 35 on the highway and 34 in combined driving.—
Mark Phelan,
Freep.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abstraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstraction. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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