abstracted

adjective

ab·​stract·​ed ab-ˈstrak-təd How to pronounce abstracted (audio)
ˈab-ˌstrak-
1
: withdrawn in mind : inattentive to one's surroundings
said hello but seemed abstracted
2
: abstract sense 4
abstracted geometric shapes
abstractedly adverb
abstractedness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for abstracted

abstracted, preoccupied, absent, absent-minded, distracted mean inattentive to what claims or demands consideration.

abstracted implies absorption of the mind in something other than one's surroundings, and often suggests reflection on weighty matters.

walking about with an abstracted air

preoccupied often implies having one's attention so taken up by thoughts as to neglect others.

too preoccupied with her debts to enjoy the meal

absent stresses inability to fix the mind on present concerns due more to mental wandering than to concentration on other matters.

an absent stare

absent-minded implies that the mind is fixed elsewhere and often refers to a habit of abstractedness.

so absent-minded, he's been known to wear mismatched shoes

distracted may suggest an inability to concentrate caused by worry, sorrow, or anxiety.

was too distracted by grief to continue working

Examples of abstracted in a Sentence

She said hello but she seemed a bit abstracted. the man on the train seemed somewhat abstracted, and he did indeed forget to get off at his stop
Recent Examples on the Web His work is an aural document of the slaughterhouse on the other side of the wall (the gunfire, the shouts) while Mica Levi’s score is an abstracted primal scream. Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024 The new logo, meanwhile, gives the animal a more abstracted — and somewhat more animated — appearance. Oscar Holland, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 This was Coppola’s bid to take his place among the cinema’s image-masters, such as F. W. Murnau and King Vidor, who took bare-bones stories of an abstracted simplicity—at the edge of legend—and endowed them with overwhelming power through sheer visual impact. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Jan. 2024 An abstracted face—a little goofy, but also haunting—loomed in front of an orange background. Shayla Love, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2023 Spiky trumpet lines hint at mariachi, but for the most part Frank favors an abstracted sense of musical locale. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023 Reliant on their host system operating system kernel (Windows containers run on Windows, Linux containers run on Linux), containers are an abstracted element of cloud computing systems, which are essentially virtualized and abstracted at their core in the first place. Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 New textile works that take the appearance of floating, waterlogged silk by Megumi Shauna Arai exhibit the artist’s graduation from straightforward patchwork into more abstracted territory. Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, 13 June 2023 One of Morris’ favorite works, shown at the Brooklyn Museum, embodies this spirit: an abstracted view of a woman’s torso, the curves of her body like peaks and valleys, her vulva covered in a real tuffet of green fur. Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 17 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abstracted.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of abstract entry 3

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of abstracted was in 1643

Dictionary Entries Near abstracted

Cite this Entry

“Abstracted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abstracted. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

abstracted

adjective
ab·​stract·​ed ab-ˈstrak-təd How to pronounce abstracted (audio)
ˈab-ˌstrak-
abstractedly adverb
abstractedness noun

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