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 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 Kusama died on August 14 in Tokyo at age 97, leaving behind an iconic oeuvre of abstractions and an art world remade by the rise of her global brand. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 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 The still life from 1982 was a stark departure from Richter’s exhibition in Germany of large-scale abstractions. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 25 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstractions

Noun

In my view, the counseling gap for older adults often reflects outdated notions of aging and of what counseling can offer.

— Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026
Her notions of justice and the law — indeed, of her very sense of self — are then upended when she herself is assaulted by Julian (Daniel Ings), her colleague and boyfriend who comes from a relatively privileged background.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of notions

Noun

The new banner will develop and produce projects across film, TV, audio and live experiences for exploitation at home and abroad by optioning popular literary works and original concepts.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
Some concepts are existing parts of AI research more broadly, although companies connect and implement them differently.

— Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of concepts

Noun

Nine final thoughts on Notre Dame’s 52-0 blowout of Rice, which answered a few questions but also requires grading the Irish on a curve.

— Pete Sampson, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Whiteside and her colleagues run peer support groups for individuals who are struggling with suicidal thoughts or have already survived suicide attempts, and in need of ongoing support.

— Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of thoughts

Noun

Whether destruction or technological progress, both are purposeful activities, each with different conceptions of success or failure.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Beatrice, played by actual academic Anne-Laure Sellier, is a professor at Columbia whose work focuses on how historical conceptions of memory can inform present-day studies of the brain.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of conceptions

Noun

Cuoco also added a few mirror selfies of her baby belly, as well as pictures from throughout her pregnancy so far.

— Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Nine deaths bring nine funerals and the front pages of the two local newspapers, the Middlesbrough Gazette and the Northern Echo, both carry pictures of the previous day’s ceremony for PC Matthew Blades in nearby Hartlepool.

— Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of pictures

Noun

But while Jumbo’s has garnered a mythology as a magnet for filmmakers, writers and musicians who collect impressions, the dive’s dancers have shifted from being the subject to the artists.

— Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Success used to be measured by impressions, click-through rates and website visits.

— Jay Sen, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 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 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstractions

noun

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