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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Recent Examples of abstractions
When the news breaks of faraway civilian casualties — an erroneous air strike on a school that relied on outdated intelligence, for example — the mind takes refuge in abstractions and statistics.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
Large-scale abstractions from the 1990s also continue to draw high prices when the pop up at auction.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Meis moves from the Baroque virtuosity of Rubens’s study of a drunken mythological figure, through the jagged modernist puzzle of Marc’s allegorical animals, to Mitchell’s painterly abstractions and their flickering landscape allusions.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
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
People are reduced to abstractions or enemies.
—Andrew Behar, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Two, the issue of climate change broadly and emissions more specifically are also not just abstractions.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
Most of what happens in AI happens behind closed doors in conference rooms, and on server farms, and in the heads of people who think in abstractions most of us can barely comprehend.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
The families in these shelters are not abstractions in a policy debate.
—Ken Toltz, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Large-scale abstractions from the 1990s also continue to draw high prices when the pop up at auction.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Meis moves from the Baroque virtuosity of Rubens’s study of a drunken mythological figure, through the jagged modernist puzzle of Marc’s allegorical animals, to Mitchell’s painterly abstractions and their flickering landscape allusions.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
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
People are reduced to abstractions or enemies.
—Andrew Behar, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Two, the issue of climate change broadly and emissions more specifically are also not just abstractions.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
Most of what happens in AI happens behind closed doors in conference rooms, and on server farms, and in the heads of people who think in abstractions most of us can barely comprehend.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
The families in these shelters are not abstractions in a policy debate.
—Ken Toltz, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstractions
Noun
-
Breakaway notions, such as ‘Calexit,’ are fanciful, but the discontent driving them is real.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Advice or even just notions—only check email after noon; never do 10 reps of crunches—solidify into absolutism or vanish.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Luna opposes generous Jupiter in your 3rd House of Dialogue, so big ideas can be explained in a way that makes sense to more people than usual.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The grocery chain is known for thinking outside the box with new flavors, ingredients, and meal ideas—some that may sound a little funky at first, but somehow always work.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The series also teaches children scientific and mechanical concepts in a whimsical, charming way.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The scene is set by Giacomo, the beloved Milanese restaurant—another successful business in the Rovati family's portfolio—which offers a variety of concepts, including bistro, deli, and patisserie.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In a remote conversation from his new home in Laurel Canyon, Subtronics talks about his milestone Coachella run and shares thoughts on everything from what to expect from his set to his legacy in dubstep and beyond.—
Christine Terrisse,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
For example, suicidal thoughts may be something a patient is reluctant to share with their therapist, but that is critical for the therapist to know to keep the patient safe.—
Rhitu Chatterjee,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In reaction against the waste of life and ill-success of Mazzini’s program, moderate opinion tended to crystallize around federal conceptions of the solution of the Italian problem.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Second, however, at the chasm between the Framers’ conceptions of Presidential war power and the unbounded nature of that authority today.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One of those pictures was with Luca Gamauf, a university student.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The management also tossed pictures of his kids.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 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
-
That’s been further reflected in the initial impressions Martone has made on some people around the league who have gotten a chance to see him in person.—
Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abstractions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstractions. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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