abstract

adjective
UK: /ˈæbstrækt/
US: /ˈæbstrækt/

  1. Not related to specific things or actions; existing only as an idea.

    1. Justice is an abstract concept that many people struggle to define. [ ] [ ]
    2. The artist's work moved away from realism and towards more abstract themes. [ ] [ ]

  2. Difficult to understand.

    1. The philosopher's writing is very abstract and hard to follow. [ ] [ ]
    2. Some students find the abstract nature of theoretical physics challenging. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

summary conceptual theoretical essence general
abstract transitive-verb

  1. To remove something from something else.

    1. You can abstract the main points from the long report. [ ] [ ]
    2. The scientist will abstract DNA from the blood sample for analysis. [ ] [ ]

  2. To consider something separately from something else.

    1. Let's abstract away the implementation details and focus on the core algorithm. [ ] [ ]
    2. We need to abstract the key principles from the experimental results. [ ] [ ]
abstract noun

  1. A summary of a text, scientific article, or document.

    1. Read the abstract to get a quick overview of the paper. [ ] [ ]
    2. The abstract should accurately reflect the content of the research. [ ] [ ]

  2. An abstract work of art.

    1. The museum has a section dedicated to abstract art. [ ] [ ]
    2. I appreciate the artist's bold use of color in this abstract painting. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "abstract" in English means: Not related to specific things or actions; existing only as an idea., Difficult to understand..

The phonetic transcription of "abstract" is /ˈæbstrækt/ in British English and /ˈæbstrækt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "abstract": summary, conceptual, theoretical, essence, general.

Example usage of "abstract": "Justice is an abstract concept that many people struggle to define.". More examples on the page.