ABSTRACT

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does abstract mean? 

• ABSTRACT (noun)
  The noun ABSTRACT has 2 senses:

1. a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance

2. a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory

  Familiarity information: ABSTRACT used as a noun is rare.

• ABSTRACT (adjective)
  The adjective ABSTRACT has 3 senses:

1. existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment

2. not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature

3. dealing with a subject in the abstract without practical purpose or intention

  Familiarity information: ABSTRACT used as an adjective is uncommon.

• ABSTRACT (verb)
  The verb ABSTRACT has 4 senses:

1. consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically

2. make off with belongings of others

3. consider apart from a particular case or instance

4. give an abstract (of)

  Familiarity information: ABSTRACT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ABSTRACT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A concept or idea not associated with any specific instance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

abstract; abstraction

Context example:

he loved her only in the abstract--not in person

Hypernyms ("abstract" is a kind of...):

concept; conception; construct (an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "abstract"):

right (an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature)

absolute (something that is conceived or that exists independently and not in relation to other things; something that does not depend on anything else and is beyond human control; something that is not relative)

teacher (a personified abstraction that teaches)

thing (a special abstraction)

Derivation:

abstract (consider apart from a particular case or instance)

abstract (existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment)

abstract (consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

abstract; outline; precis; synopsis

Hypernyms ("abstract" is a kind of...):

sum-up; summary (a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "abstract"):

brief (a condensed written summary or abstract)

apercu (a short synopsis)

epitome (a brief abstract (as of an article or book))

Derivation:

abstract (give an abstract (of))

• ABSTRACT (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment

Context example:

abstract words like 'truth' and 'justice'

Similar:

conceptional; ideational; notional (being of the nature of a notion or concept)

conceptual (being or characterized by concepts or their formation)

ideal (constituting or existing only in the form of an idea or mental image or conception)

ideologic; ideological (concerned with or suggestive of ideas)

Also:

nonrepresentational (of or relating to a style of art in which objects do not resemble those known in physical nature)

impalpable; intangible (incapable of being perceived by the senses especially the sense of touch)

Attribute:

abstractness (the quality of being considered apart from a specific instance or object)

Antonym:

concrete (capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary)

Derivation:

abstract (a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance)

abstractness (the quality of being considered apart from a specific instance or object)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature

Synonyms:

abstract; abstractionist; nonfigurative; nonobjective

Context example:

a large abstract painting

Similar:

nonrepresentational (of or relating to a style of art in which objects do not resemble those known in physical nature)

Derivation:

abstractness (the quality of being considered apart from a specific instance or object)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Dealing with a subject in the abstract without practical purpose or intention

Context example:

abstract science

Similar:

theoretical (concerned with theories rather than their practical applications)

Derivation:

abstractness (the quality of being considered apart from a specific instance or object)

• ABSTRACT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they abstract ... he / she / it abstracts
Past simple: abstracted   
Past participle: abstracted   
-ing form: abstracting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "abstract" is one way to...):

consider; reckon; regard; see; view (deem to be)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

abstract (a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance)

abstraction (a general concept formed by extracting common features from specific examples)

abstraction (the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting common properties of instances)

abstraction (a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance)

abstractive (of an abstracting nature or having the power of abstracting)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make off with belongings of others

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

abstract; cabbage; filch; hook; lift; nobble; pilfer; pinch; purloin; snarf; sneak; swipe

Hypernyms (to "abstract" is one way to...):

rip; rip off; steal (take without the owner's consent)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something from somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Consider apart from a particular case or instance

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Context example:

Let's abstract away from this particular example

Hypernyms (to "abstract" is one way to...):

consider; deal; look at; take (take into consideration for exemplifying purposes)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

abstract (a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance)

abstractive (of an abstracting nature or having the power of abstracting)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Give an abstract (of)

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "abstract" is one way to...):

resume; sum up; summarise; summarize (give a summary (of))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

abstract (a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory)

abstracter; abstractor (one who makes abstracts or summarizes information)

 Context examples 

An abstract class to capture the concept of an event (either in the laboratory or a computational analysis).

(Bio Event, NCI Thesaurus)

The study results indicate that infants are learning such abstract rules through seeing from a very early age.

(Infants Are Able to Learn Abstract Rules Visually, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

An abstract class which represents both physical and computational groupings of arrays and biomaterials.

(Bioassay Class, NCI Thesaurus)

A technique which attempts to provide an abstract model of a particular system.

(Computer Modeling, NCI Thesaurus)

The presiding officer who examines abstract or generic ideas generalized from particular instances.

(Concept Review Chair, NCI Thesaurus)

There are some other articles; but these are the most important, of which I have read you an abstract.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

The slave-class in the abstract was all very well, but it was not wholly satisfactory when it was brought home to his own family.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

An organizational header for concepts representing mostly abstract entities.

(Conceptual Entity, NCI Thesaurus)

An abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances.

(Construct, NCI Thesaurus)

A data type comprised of a set of consecutive values of an ordered base, which is an abstract generalization for all value data types that have an order relationship.

(Interval Quantity Data Type, NCI Thesaurus)