Translate abstract | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of abstract
adjective
existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence:abstract concepts such as love or beauty dealing with ideas rather than events:the novel was too abstract and esoteric to sustain much attention not based on a particular instance; theoretical:we have been discussing the problem in a very abstract manner (of a word, especially a noun) denoting an idea, quality, or state rather than a concrete object:abstract words like truth or equality of or relating to abstract art:abstract pictures that look like commercial color charts
verb
Pronunciation:
/abˈstrakt/ 1consider (something) theoretically or separately from something else:to abstract science and religion from their historical context can lead to anachronism [no object]:he cannot form a general notion by abstracting from particulars
2extract or remove (something):applications to abstract more water from streams used euphemistically to say that someone has stolen something:his pockets contained all he had been able to abstract from the apartment (
abstract oneself)
withdraw:as our relationship deepened you seemed to abstract yourself
3make a written summary of (an article or book):staff who index and abstract material for an online database
noun
Pronunciation:
/ˈabˌstrakt/ 1a summary of the contents of a book, article, or formal speech:an abstract of his inaugural address
2an abstract work of art:a big unframed abstract
3 (
the abstract)
that which is abstract; the theoretical consideration of something:the abstract must be made concrete by examples
