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abstract Definition

ab·stract (for adj., ab strakt, abstrakt′; for n.1 & vt.4, abstrakt′; for n.2, abstrakt′, ab strakt; for vt.1, 2, & 3, ab strakt)

adjective

  1. thought of apart from any particular instances or material objects; not concrete
  2. expressing a quality thought of apart from any particular or material object beauty is an abstract word
  3. not easy to understand because of being extremely complex, remote from concrete reality, etc.; abstruse
  4. theoretical; not practical or applied
  5. designating or of art abstracted from reality, in which designs or forms may be definite and geometric or fluid and amorphous: a generic term that encompasses various nonrealistic contemporary schools

Etymology: < L abstractus, pp. of abstrahere, to draw from, separate < ab(s)-, from + trahere, to draw

noun

  1. a brief statement of the essential content of a book, article, speech, court record, etc.; summary
  2. an abstract thing, condition, idea, etc.

transitive verb

  1. to take away; remove
  2. to take dishonestly; steal
  3. to think of (a quality) apart from any particular instance or material object that has it; also, to form (a general idea) from particular instances
  4. to summarize; make an abstract of

abstract Related Forms
ab·stracter noun ab·stractly adverb ab·stract·ness noun
abstract Idioms

in the abstract

in theory as apart from practice

abstract Synonyms

abstract

modif.

  1. Theoretical

    general, conceptual, intellectual, ideal; see theoretical.

  2. Abstruse

    complex, involved, obscure; see difficult 2.

  3. Nonrealistic

    nonrepresentational, geometric, symbolic, biomorphic, abstract expressionist, cubist; see also painting 1.

abstract Synonyms

abstract

n.

synopsis, outline, résumé; see abridgment, summary. See syn. study atabridgment.

abstract Synonyms

abstract

v.

  1. To take away

    withdraw, separate, extract; see remove 1.

  2. To prepare an abstract

    digest, summarize, condense; see decrease 2, summarize.

abstract Law Definition

n

A concise summary of a text. See also abstract of judgment, abstract of record, and abstract of title.
abstract Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • submit: Other submitted abstracts will be presented in the poster session.
  • reproduce: The GDN would like to thank the Journal of Geography for allowing us to reproduce abstracts from the journal.
  • download: You can download the abstracts of the papers as a 208 KB pdf file.
  • invite: Some conferences invite abstracts for seminars and workshops as well as for posters and concurrent sessions.
  • contain: Each issue contains 20 abstracts chosen by Elizabeth Rowan, the LISA editor.

Adjective modifier

  • accepted: The final list of accepted abstracts will be emailed when available.
  • extended: Paper formats and style LaTeX and MS Word are available for extended abstracts and papers.

Modifies a noun

  • pathname: File ( String pathname ) Creates a new File instance by converting the given pathname string into an abstract pathname.
  • noun: Guess the word ( can be used for abstract nouns ) Choose five words relating to recent conversational themes.
  • expressionism: ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM - New York painting movement of the 1940's with its artistic roots based upon Abstract Art.
  • painting: On my white walls, I would ideally like to hang a huge abstract expressionist painting by De Kooning.
  • concept: Make an effort to link abstract concepts with empirical data.
  • submission: This page outlines the process that is involved with electronic ABSTRACT submission.

Used with adjective complement

  • extend: Theory in a Complex World: Agent-Based Simulations of Geographic Systems An extended abstract by Catherine Dibble.

Noun used with modifier

  • poster: Contrary to any previous indication, students can submit their poster abstracts on any relevant topic.
  • article: Current content freely available from this site includes interactive case studies, documents and reports, and journal article abstracts.

Preposition: of

  • thesis: The site also has abstracts of doctoral theses ( supported by ADEME ).
  • article: The metadata should include an abstract of the article.
  • paper: You are invited to submit an abstract of a paper or presentation you would like to give.

Preposition: from

  • journal: The GDN would like to thank the Journal of Geography for allowing us to reproduce abstracts from the journal.
abstract Quotes

The Pop artists did images that anybody walking down Broadway could recognize in a split secondöcomics, picnic tables, men's trousers, celebrities, shower curtains, refrigerators,Coke bottlesöall the great modern things that the Abstract Expressionists tried so hard not to notice at all.

—Warhol, Andy

Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you.

—Pollock, (Paul) Jackson

When we run over libraries, persuaded of these principles, what havoc must we make? If we take in our hand any volume; of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance; let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact or existence? No.Commit itthen tothe flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.

—Humboldt, Alexander, Baron von

For me, as for most novelists, every genuine imaginative event begins down there, with the facts, with the specific, and not with the philosophical, theideological, or the abstract.

—Roth, Philip Milton

The force that propels the human spirit on the clear way forward and upward is the abstract spirit.

—Kandinsky,Wassily

Literature is not an abstract science, to which exact definitions can be applied.It is an Art rather, the success of which depends on personal persuasiveness, on the author's skill to give as on ours to receive.

—Quiller-Couch, SirArthurThomas known as  'Q'

It has been often said, even by proponents of those picturesknown inaestheticslang as Cubist and Abstract, that they have no subject matter. Such a statement is equivalent to saying that life has no subject matter.

—Davis, Stuart

The test of an abstract picture, for me, is not my first reaction to it, but how long I can stand it hanging on the wall of a room where I am living.

—Betjeman, SirJohn

Every form is individual, there exists none which is abstract.

—Heinse,Wilhelm