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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abstraction
Not having followed the same historical trajectory, Wichí textiles have a nonlinear genealogy of their own—one that does not attempt to justify its value by tying itself to modernist abstraction.
—
María Carri, Artforum, 16 Apr. 2026
That’s not a national abstraction.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
When the news breaks of faraway civilian casualties — an erroneous air strike on a school that relied on outdated intelligence, for example — the mind takes refuge in abstractions and statistics.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
The war felt far away then—an abstraction to analyze—its consequences filtered through spreadsheets and financial models.
—Pandu Sjahrir, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
María Carri, Artforum, 16 Apr. 2026
That’s not a national abstraction.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
When the news breaks of faraway civilian casualties — an erroneous air strike on a school that relied on outdated intelligence, for example — the mind takes refuge in abstractions and statistics.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
The war felt far away then—an abstraction to analyze—its consequences filtered through spreadsheets and financial models.
—Pandu Sjahrir, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abstraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstraction
Noun
-
May 21 – June 20 A good idea turns into real progress faster than expected.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
Haring’s totems clearly express this idea.—
Glenn Adamson,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Food and drink Mostrador, Marram’s singular food concept, is an elevated counter service spot with Uruguayan flair (no wonder, as it is helmed by an Uruguayan team that knows a thing or two about fantastic beach food).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
-
The concept of everyone coming together for one evening — and pausing their competition for the good of the overall TV business — had some legs.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
This conception of dance music as channeling an elevated presence of mind in an unbound flow state (or whatever) is both galaxy-brained and complete nonsense.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
-
There was something fundamentally wrong with the conception of the scene.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And all sorts of people—technologists, writers, artists, politicians, investors, and businesspeople—now work to shape our notions about what’s to come.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
Aether enthusiasts contorted themselves in knots attempting to explain this null result while still saving the notion of the aether itself.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
In Islamic thought, wealth is understood as a trust from God, to be handled with care and never mistaken for proof of divine endorsement.—
Boutayna Chokrane,
Pitchfork,
7 May 2026
-
Jerry Seinfeld is offering his thoughts on Friends — not that there’s anything wrong with that.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
That was my impression after the Villars Ocean Forum, a gathering of over 150 leaders from academic, activist, and business backgrounds.—
Natalie Sum Yue Chung,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
-
In interviews, representatives of some companies told me about their algorithms’ abilities to reveal patterns that impressions alone cannot.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abstraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstraction. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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