ABSTRACTION Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

abstraction

noun

ab-ˈstrak-shən

Definition of abstraction

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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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 By contrast, fashionable abstraction may refuse beauty, intelligibility, or civic meaning, yet remain thin and dependent on institutional explanation. — Frank Porcu, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026 What’s at issue is collateral damage, a term that came into use during the Vietnam War to obscure, through abstraction, that masses of civilians were being systematically blown to pieces. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026 The artist’s body of work merged spirituality with abstraction. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 But the murkiness doesn’t last long in a production that achieves an admirable balance between objectivity and emotion, abstraction and representation. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for abstraction

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstraction

Noun

For decades, magnetic data storage has depended on the general idea of using a magnetic field to flip tiny regions of a material between states representing 1s and 0s.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
That idea has grown into a major employment pipeline for Walmart’s Private Fleet.

— Alice Barlow, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of idea

Noun

Advances in electrical power systems, tracking technology, beam control and compact high-energy lasers are making the concept increasingly practical.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Though the idea proved nearly impossible to fully realize, the concept of a more fluid, non-rigid weaving style became central to Wiener’s practice.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of concept

Noun

The French Catholic hierarchy strongly opposed the measures, in keeping with Catholic teaching that human life must be protected and defended from conception until natural death.

— Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
This implies that our own hindbrain is already represented by an exclusive lineage of cells distinct from the forebrain and midbrain just three weeks after conception, roughly when other major organs like the heart are distinguishing themselves.

— Mike McRae September 21, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of conception

Noun

And there’s also all these preconceived notions about you that are out there that are associated with [you] because your body is your art, right?

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026
And, like any good party, someone had a notion that the others loved — and so the players trudged back onto the field to have a team photo taken in front of the Crown Vision board still displaying a congratulatory message to the White Sox.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of notion

Noun

An extensive cemetery added to the impression of a flourishing urban center, as did what might have been part of a brewing complex found through selective excavations.

— Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Your audience may form an impression of your organization without ever visiting your home page.

— Jessica Wong, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of impression

Browse Nearby Words

abstracting

abstraction

abstractions

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“Abstraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstraction. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstraction

noun

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