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
Seidle sketches out miniature worlds on his Casio with the oblong abstractions of a kindergartener doodling on a piece of paper, his primitive songs existing in a kind of nascent pre-genre state.
—
Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
In so doing, Bettina anticipated a shift from modernist objecthood to the procedural logics that would structure systems and digital- media art—yet retained a fundamentally modernist faith in the promise of spiritual insight through total abstraction.
—Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
For Caldwell, weighing the risks of his work has always felt more like a mental abstraction, an algorithm of constantly shifting variables, than an instinctive act of self-preservation.
—Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Being and Time teaches the discipline of confronting one’s own finitude – death not as abstraction but as the horizon that makes life meaningful.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
In so doing, Bettina anticipated a shift from modernist objecthood to the procedural logics that would structure systems and digital- media art—yet retained a fundamentally modernist faith in the promise of spiritual insight through total abstraction.
—Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
For Caldwell, weighing the risks of his work has always felt more like a mental abstraction, an algorithm of constantly shifting variables, than an instinctive act of self-preservation.
—Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Being and Time teaches the discipline of confronting one’s own finitude – death not as abstraction but as the horizon that makes life meaningful.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstraction
Noun
-
Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering what’s changing in how fashion is made, scaled or engineered from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
We were blessed to have a writers’ room that could generate 20 to 25 movie ideas.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As a cover track, Isakov is quick to point out the pitfalls of that concept as a whole.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In March, two different indie game developers released workplace simulators built around the same concept.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Trump has such a different view, and, in that sense, is so fundamentally not a conservative and not somebody who believes in that conception of limited government.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Another point of pride for Airbus is the fact that the project took only nine months from conception to demonstration, which reflects the urgency put on developing new drone and anti-drone technologies.—
David Szondy
April 04,
New Atlas,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bedard down played the notion — for now.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
As the Paramount upfront meetings commence, the company appears poised to keep them and is not at present entertaining any notions of returning to the days when CBS held court in front of advertisers at Carnegie Hall.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But there are differing thoughts on the scope of a solution.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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For my taxi-cab drivers, don’t get any thoughts!—
Marc D. Grasso,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hundreds of reporters and photojournalists came to Vietnam to witness the end of a war that had lasted thirty years and in which millions had died, and many recorded their impressions.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Crosby and the Penguins have won more times than not, but Ovi has certainly made an impression on Sid the Kid.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abstraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstraction. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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