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
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
Highlights from the Shah Garg Collection that will be exhibited include early abstraction by Janet Sobel and Judy Chicago, textile work from Faith Ringgold and Sheila Hicks, and innovative mixed media by Christina Quarles, Tschabalala Self, and Anicka Yi.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
This exhibition showcases her visual language that intertwines elements of abstraction with storytelling, creating a playful yet profound commentary on themes of identity, nature and urban life.
—Amy Carleton, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
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
Highlights from the Shah Garg Collection that will be exhibited include early abstraction by Janet Sobel and Judy Chicago, textile work from Faith Ringgold and Sheila Hicks, and innovative mixed media by Christina Quarles, Tschabalala Self, and Anicka Yi.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
This exhibition showcases her visual language that intertwines elements of abstraction with storytelling, creating a playful yet profound commentary on themes of identity, nature and urban life.
—Amy Carleton, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstraction
Noun
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Based on an idea by Bernabei, the series is written by Elena Bucaccio, Matthew Parkhill and Francesco Arlanch.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
12 Oct. 2025
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Construction robots are no longer a far-off idea.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This prefabricated container home features two bedrooms, a bathroom, and an open-concept kitchen and living space.—
Jessica Comstock,
Southern Living,
8 Oct. 2025
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Instead of nurturing bold concepts through this early stage, investors are now implicitly asking that entrepreneurs crawl through it alone.—
Roman Axelrod,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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And yet, welcoming that idea can shock the system because our popular conception of the American Revolution is so often encased in bloodless, gallant myth.—
Sarah Botstein,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Diné scholar Melanie Yazzie challenges notions about the relationship between decolonization and development.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Oct. 2025
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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
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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
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Below are thoughts from some of our experts who cast their votes.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And those impressions tend to stick.—
Marisa McMillan,
Outside,
7 Oct. 2025
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My impression of bath mats, from years of owning ones that end up getting soggy on contact, was that there was little to nothing to do about mildew, puddles of water, and discoloration.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abstraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstraction. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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