abstraction

noun

ab·​strac·​tion ab-ˈstrak-shən How to pronounce abstraction (audio)
əb-
1
a
: the act or process of abstracting : the state of being abstracted
b
: an abstract idea or term
2
: absence of mind or preoccupation
3
: abstract quality or character
4
a
: an abstract composition or creation in art
abstractional adjective
abstractive
ab-ˈstrak-tiv How to pronounce abstraction (audio)
ˈab-ˌstrak-
adjective

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From its roots, abstraction should mean basically "something pulled or drawn away". So abstract art is art that has moved away from painting objects of the ordinary physical world in order to show something beyond it. Theories are often abstractions; so a theory about economics, for instance, may "pull back" to take a broad view that somehow explains all of economics (but maybe doesn't end up explaining any of it very successfully). An abstract of a medical or scientific article is a one-paragraph summary of its contents—that is, the basic findings "pulled out" of the article.

Examples of abstraction in a Sentence

abstraction of data from hospital records “Beauty” and “truth” are abstractions. She gazed out the window in abstraction.
Recent Examples on the Web Fonseca cites influences ranging from Pollock’s gestural abstraction to Antoni Tàpies’s textured use of string, rags, and other nontraditional elements to van Gogh’s extraordinary color sense. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Jan. 2024 But the courthouse faces the Capitol building; rebellion is not an abstraction for the Justices. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2024 Data is always changing as users access it, programs update it and access permissions are modified at the layer of abstraction. Adam Gavish, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Le Tellier instead focuses on twins as an abstraction, an idea. Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024 Pictured above: Zhu Jinshi, Valley in the Mirror No. 1, 2022, oil on canvas After several years of figurative painting’s domination of the contemporary-art scene, some of the freshest-looking canvases hanging in galleries and art fairs in recent months have been abstractions. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Jan. 2024 Marek Ranis of Charlotte influenced the attractive salmon and gray colors used on bridges and walls, kind of an abstraction of Carolina’s clay and blue sky. Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 Savage was a hands-on, empirical researcher, more interested in real-world experiments with real-world results than abstractions. Andy Greenberg, Ars Technica, 18 Jan. 2024 Her work, at the border of representation and abstraction, cast a strong influence over younger painters but did not gain broad public recognition until late in her life. Will Heinrich, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abstraction.' 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

borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French, "abduction (of a woman), removal, extraction (of a foreign body from a wound), (in philosophy) process by which the mind is able to form universal representations of the properties of distinct objects," borrowed from Late Latin abstractiōn-, abstractiō, from Latin abstrac- (variant stem of abstrahere "to remove forcibly") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at abstract entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of abstraction was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near abstraction

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

abstraction

noun
ab·​strac·​tion ab-ˈstrak-shən How to pronounce abstraction (audio)
1
a
: the act or process of abstracting : the state of being abstracted
b
: an abstract idea or term
2
: an artistic composition or creation having designs that do not represent actual objects
abstractive adjective

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