abstraction

noun

ab-ˈstrak-shən How to pronounce abstraction (audio)
Definition of abstractionnext
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

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 abstraction Nickless moves between recognizable images and abstraction throughout the show. — Erin Parish, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026 Architectural decisions can be convictions, too, if they are made at a high enough level of abstraction. — Amir Wain, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026 Lovely Butterfly moves between the tactility of personal letters and abstraction of aerial digital maps, mediating the scales of intimacy and distance. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026 By contrast, fashionable abstraction may refuse beauty, intelligibility, or civic meaning, yet remain thin and dependent on institutional explanation. — Frank Porcu, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for abstraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstraction
  1. idea
  2. concept
  3. conception
  4. notion
  5. thought
  6. impression
Noun
  • As Reynolds notes, this freedom cut against rock’s foundational idea of immediacy, the direct communication of feeling between artist and audience.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Over time, Buddhism introduced ideas of reincarnation and karmic retribution, linking a person's fate after death to their actions in life.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of idea
Noun
  • Advances in electrical power systems, tracking technology, beam control and compact high-energy lasers are making the concept increasingly practical.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Though the idea proved nearly impossible to fully realize, the concept of a more fluid, non-rigid weaving style became central to Wiener’s practice.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of concept
Noun
  • Risk, legal and compliance leaders belong in the room from the moment of conception, not the approval stage.
    — Olufunsho Peters, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The first is the art history of the work, which includes its conception, its construction, and its place within Serra’s practice overall.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of conception
Noun
  • Legal experts on the other side question the notion that a public nuisance can be defined so broadly to include both the sale of a legal product and the impact on carbon pollution, much of it coming from China and India.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday rejected the idea that election monitors being deployed to polls during the midterm elections will be armed, categorizing the notion as fearmongering and false.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of notion
Noun
  • August 23 – September 22 Your thoughts may be louder than usual this morning.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Do read columnist Michael Cunningham’s thoughts on the matter — but in the meantime, some basics.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of thought
Noun
  • Which environment gives you a better chance to make an impression?
    — John M. O'Connor, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • What left the greatest impression in La Jolla, however, was the staging by Danya Taymor, who would go on to win a Tony for her breathtakingly fluid direction.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of impression

Browse Nearby Words

abstracting
abstraction
abstractions
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Cite this Entry

“Abstraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstraction. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on abstraction

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about abstraction

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