abstract 1 of 3

abstract

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noun

abstract

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verb

1
as in to distract
to draw the attention or mind to something else personal problems abstracted him so persistently that he struggled to keep his mind on his work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

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 abstract
Adjective
He is known for his colorful blend of Eastern and Western painting styles, abstract sculptures and ink paintings. The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 20 Mar. 2025 Kanzi went on to learn hundreds of symbols that represented various objects and activities, as well as some more abstract concepts. Kate Wong, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
More than communication tools, languages help concretize the abstract, providing frameworks for making sense of concepts as fundamental as time. Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024 In the past, the agency has also kept open PubMed, which holds biomedical research abstracts needed for health care, and the ClinicalTrials.gov registry, where reporting of clinical studies is a legal requirement. Bydavid Malakoff, science.org, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
Nonetheless, when abstracted from Ancient Rome, several of his maneuvers can teach contemporary entrepreneurs some great lessons. Ted Ladd, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025 An even better move would be to abstract away all these definitions and focus on what tools can do for people. Alex Heath, The Verge, 3 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for abstract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstract
Adjective
  • This violent event flashes onstage in the manner of a traumatic memory, with Goodman’s Jesse writhing on Justin Huen’s impressionistic urban set as lighting and sound designer Matt Richter underscores the hallucinatory nature of the assault with strobe effects.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2025
  • The book is very short and impressionistic, just a series of encounters with different characters.
    The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Document Decisions: After each meeting, send out a summary of key decisions and action items.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Los Angeles City Attorney’s office spokesman Ivor Pine said Urías was placed on 36 months of summary probation and ordered to complete 30 days of community labor.
    Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Multi-day vacations remained out of reach for most working people, and many of them resented the upper classes’ summering as a manifestation of inequality.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Next, write down your intention or manifestation on a small piece of paper and carefully fold it.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Just this week, Chinese auto giant BYD made headlines around the world by topping Tesla in launching time-saving EV battery charger technology, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk was distracted with his high-profile political role in Washington.
    Russell Flannery, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • The mom's reassurances do very little to distract him...
    Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • According to Dewey's Instagram Stories summarizing the fatal incident, the toddler was playing with a suction cup bowl by sticking it onto a mirror and pulling it back and forth.
    Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • But to summarize, he was born in San Benito, Texas — not far from Brownsville and the Mexico border town of Matamoros — and raised by his mother in a nearby trailer park.
    Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Google leverages the theoretical power of generative AI to give Gemini access to data across multiple apps.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Over the ensuing fifteen years, publications about the theoretical or methodological implications of computer vision for the study of art have proliferated, generating an extensive discourse about its potentials.
    Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • As Pagels portrays them, the evangelists were men of creative genius, using their defense of Jesus as an occasion to draft the outlines of a new world religion.
    Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
  • But the device is shrouded in shadow, revealing only two joysticks and the outline of the central screen.
    Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • On the heels of his success, Chamberlain relocated to England to shed his TV heartthrob image and train as a series actor.
    Shania Russell, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2025
  • What Happens Next? New Model Y Launch edition available ‘today’ – base models coming soon More 2026 Model Y inventory had arrived on the North Hollywood lot (see image above) since my last visit to the store.
    Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Abstract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstract. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.

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