abstraction

[ ab-strak-shuhn ]

noun

1. an abstract or general idea or term.
2. the act of considering something as a general quality or characteristic, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.
3. an impractical idea; something visionary and unrealistic.
4. the act of taking away or separating; withdrawal:

   The sensation of cold is due to the abstraction of heat from our bodies.

5. secret removal, especially theft.
6. absent-mindedness; inattention; mental absorption.
7. Fine Arts.
   1. the abstract qualities or characteristics of a work of art.
   2. a work of art, especially a nonrepresentational one, stressing formal relationships.

abstraction

/ æbˈstrækʃən /

noun

1. absence of mind; preoccupation
2. the process of formulating generalized ideas or concepts by extracting common qualities from specific examples
3. an idea or concept formulated in this way

   good and evil are abstractions

4. logic an operator that forms a class name or predicate from any given expression See also lambda calculus
5. an abstract painting, sculpture, etc
6. the act of withdrawing or removing

Derived Forms

• abˈstractively, adverb
• abˈstractive, adjective

Other Words From

• ab·straction·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abstraction¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Late Latin abstractiōn-, stem of abstractiō “separation,” literally, “a drawing off,” from abstract(us) “drawn off” + -iō noun suffix; abstract -ion

Example Sentences

The media and punditry’s other problem is their need to reduce social groups into simple binaries and abstractions that can provide a clean narrative but impose an incorrect logic on how America’s polity votes.

From Salon

Disconnected from the magnitude of this fateful moment, the danger of a fascist president leading a fanatical movement becomes an abstraction.

From Salon

The subject of advanced technology and its impact on abstraction in Southern California art isn’t new.

From Los Angeles Times

Carolina Caycedo carves a trio of enormous seeds — squash, beans, corn — from wood as elegant sculptural abstractions.

From Los Angeles Times

The problem for him and Trump, as this polling shows, is that the cold, hard reality of abortion bans is hard to ignore, now that they're law and not just an abstraction.

From Salon