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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 abstraction
My first true attempts at poetry were self-guided, painfully rhymed, drenched in abstractions and exhausted platitudes.
—
Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
Geometers moved beyond concrete problems about counting, and focused instead on more general abstractions and deeper truths.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 26 Sep. 2025
So how much abstraction and anti-foot-shooting structure will a sufficiently-advanced coding AI really need?
—Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025
Refusing sculpture’s decorum, Noah Purifoy turns neighborhood rubble into Johnsian abstraction that predicts his ramshackle desert sculptures.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
Geometers moved beyond concrete problems about counting, and focused instead on more general abstractions and deeper truths.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 26 Sep. 2025
So how much abstraction and anti-foot-shooting structure will a sufficiently-advanced coding AI really need?
—Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025
Refusing sculpture’s decorum, Noah Purifoy turns neighborhood rubble into Johnsian abstraction that predicts his ramshackle desert sculptures.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstraction
Noun
-
Based on an idea by Bernabei, the series is written by Elena Bucaccio, Matthew Parkhill and Francesco Arlanch.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Construction robots are no longer a far-off idea.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Duran had published articles on Tan and his wealthy colleagues, like Balaji Srinivasan, a tech investor who was promoting an esoteric but stubbornly influential concept called the Network State.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The mill’s Flexy Form concept showcases high-stretch denim with soft-touch yarns, excellent recovery, and body-shaping flexibility—designed to adapt to all body types and lifestyles.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Those principles felt like the right direction for the conception of Aatman.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Appropriate to the popular conception of the morose genius, Poe’s initial 1849 funeral, held amidst the October gloom, was sparsely attended.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Diné scholar Melanie Yazzie challenges notions about the relationship between decolonization and development.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Oct. 2025
-
So [in the film], there’s this sort of notion that, if a movie star kind of represents us in all our failings and humanity, what does that mean exactly?—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Willner of the University of Oklahoma’s College of Education, asked fifth, sixth, and eighth graders across the United States to share their thoughts on the series.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Below are thoughts from some of our experts who cast their votes.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The study agreed that the culprit that made the mark was likely dropped into the wet cement, leaving the near perfect body impression.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, witnessing civil rights events such as the March on Washington, left an impression on her.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abstraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstraction. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share