ABSTRACTIONS Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

abstractions

noun

plural of abstraction

as in notions

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 abstractions Soon afterward, Dzubas began making paintings that looked almost nothing like the colorful abstractions associated with his name. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Preliterate people don’t focus on such abstractions as taking a periodic population census and recording it for posterity. — James Coffin, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026 For much of the post-9/11 era, Muslims appeared in American culture as abstractions. — Ayman M. Mohyeldin, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026 These numbers are not abstractions, and trust may be the nonprofit sector’s most valuable currency. — Brian Peckrill, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026 The film is downright Tarkovskian for its initial hour, unspooling through eerie abstractions that heighten its lingering domestic turmoil. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026 Certain practical and loving people viewed abstractions as attempts to escape, and thus a way of failing at what was essential in life. — Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026 Billy’s main creative outlet in her years of solitude has been visual art, and her work—abstractions dominated by the geometric forms of Little Death’s air-vent face—seems like a closed circuit of self-therapy. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 31 July 2026 Yet American students and scholars flocked in droves to theory, perceiving in its recondite abstractions a thrilling new way of understanding the world—even, some believed, of changing it. — Emily Eakin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstractions

Noun

Move beyond antiquated notions of making your first three seconds a logo and a tagline.

— Phoena Pang, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Sitting on the eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert, Tucson, Arizona, dispels all such notions.

— Tovar Cerulli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of notions

Noun

Doing so will help demonstrate your research, credit the sources of your information and ideas, and allow your readers to find and evaluate those sources.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 6 Nov. 2026
Eventually, older print publications like the Atlantic began putting more content online and the marketplace of online ideas grew.

— Ted Anthony, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of ideas

Noun

And capable of coming up with concepts that have never been heard before.

— Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
For nearly a decade, the concepts submitted for consideration turned out to be some of the most popular spots aired during the NFL extravaganza.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of concepts

Noun

Here are some thoughts on today’s game and a major challenge of this rebuild.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
As with past elections, the anchors will serve as the masters of ceremonies, so to speak, calling the races, asking the analysts and correspondents for their thoughts, and throwing to reporters in the field.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of thoughts

Noun

Many young adults who started families in the past twenty years were raised this way, which shaped their own conceptions of how to rear children.

— Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Whether destruction or technological progress, both are purposeful activities, each with different conceptions of success or failure.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of conceptions

Noun

James Emery, an underwater photographer from Monterey took pictures of an olive ridley sea turtle swimming near the town's wharf.

— John Ramos, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
In fact, the only previous cinematic encounter was the unfortunate 2003 live-action version with Mike Myers that flopped critically and at the box office, winning a pathetic 10 Razzie nominations as one of the worst pictures of that year.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of pictures

Noun

Ofl the newcomers on the roster, junior guard Trent Lincoln and sophomore forward DJ Thomas made the strongest first impressions.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2026
During Fallon’s tenure, the show often asks them to pay with play — doing impressions, taking part in skits and games, or even doing a musical number.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of impressions

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abstraction

abstractions

abstracts

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“Abstractions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstractions. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstractions

noun

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