Abstract
adjective
Not connected to physical or concrete things but referring to ideas or concepts.
She has abstract thoughts about life and reality.
noun
A short summary of a larger work or research paper.
The abstract of a scientific article summarizes the main points and findings.
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
verb
To consider something separately or in a general way, without including all the details or specifics.
Let's abstract the main idea from this complex argument.
noun
An abstract work of art.
That abstract in the gallery is thought-provoking with its interplay of shapes and colors.
adjective
Abstract art or design is formed from shapes and patterns rather than the exact representation of people or things.
He is known for his unique, abstract paintings.
verb
To remove or take away something from its source or original place.
Water is abstracted from the river for farming irrigation.
adjective
Not connected to physical or concrete things but referring to ideas or concepts.
She has abstract thoughts about life and reality.
noun
A short summary of a larger work or research paper.
The abstract of a scientific article summarizes the main points and findings.
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
verb
To consider something separately or in a general way, without including all the details or specifics.
Let's abstract the main idea from this complex argument.
noun
An abstract work of art.
That abstract in the gallery is thought-provoking with its interplay of shapes and colors.
adjective
Abstract art or design is formed from shapes and patterns rather than the exact representation of people or things.
He is known for his unique, abstract paintings.
verb
To remove or take away something from its source or original place.
Water is abstracted from the river for farming irrigation.
Definition 1 of 6
Pro Tip 1/2Intangible Ideas
'Abstract' as an adjective means relating to ideas that are not physical objects.
Love and freedom are abstract concepts.
Pro Tip 2/2Philosophical Usage
Often used in discussing philosophy or deep topics where concrete examples are not easy to provide.
Philosophy deals with abstract notions of existence.
Pro Tip 1/2Intangible Ideas
'Abstract' as an adjective means relating to ideas that are not physical objects.
Love and freedom are abstract concepts.
Pro Tip 2/2Philosophical Usage
Often used in discussing philosophy or deep topics where concrete examples are not easy to provide.
Philosophy deals with abstract notions of existence.
Pro Tip 1/2Intangible Ideas
'Abstract' as an adjective means relating to ideas that are not physical objects.
Love and freedom are abstract concepts.
Pro Tip 2/2Philosophical Usage
Often used in discussing philosophy or deep topics where concrete examples are not easy to provide.
Philosophy deals with abstract notions of existence.
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Video examples
Do schools kill...
We know three things about intelligence. One, it's diverse. We think about the world in all the ways that we experience it. We think visually, we think in sound, we think kinesthetically. We think in abstract terms, we think in movement. Secondly, intelligence is dynamic. If you look at the interactions of a human brain,
Video examples
The science of symmetry...
from tangible things like butterflies, to abstract entities like geometric shapes. So, what does it mean for an object to be symmetric? Here's the a symmetry is a transformation that leaves that object unchanged. Okay, that sounds a bit abstract, so let's unpack it. It will help to look at a particular example,
Video examples
How to turn protest into...
Few of us think about civic life in the abstract. We think about things in relief compared to something else. Powerful citizens set the terms of that contrast. This doesn't mean being uncivil. It simply means thinking about a debate you want to have on your terms
Video examples
Should we get rid of...
Standardized tests can also have a hard time measuring abstract characteristics or skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. If we design a test poorly, or ask it to do the wrong job, or a job it's not very good at,
Video examples
Is math discovered or...
Their truth values are based on rules that humans created. Mathematics is thus an invented logic exercise, with no existence outside mankind's conscious thought, a language of abstract relationships based on patterns discerned by brains,
Video examples
Can you solve the frog...
The point is that information affects probability. And conditional probability isn't just the stuff of abstract mathematical games. It pops up in the real world, as well. Computers and other devices use conditional probability
Video examples
How fire shapes...
world ourselves as holders of the torch two narratives prevail one is the Promethean story it speaks of fire as technological power a fire is something abstracted from its setting perhaps by violence certainly
Video examples
Exploring the Bay of...
This one is about the technicalities of war. This is about the victims of war. So it like, goes from the very tangible here, - into a more abstract spiritual world. - That's right, yep. - Okay. - Yep.
Video examples
How to write descriptivel...
sight, and the sense of motion. It also plays with our ability to abstract and make complex associations. Look at the following sentence. "The world was ghost-quiet,
Video examples
The Smartest Parrots in...
What matter? -Wool. -Good boy. Griffin can also understand abstract concepts and even has the ability to use numbers. Now listen. How many?
Video examples
Do schools kill...
We know three things about intelligence. One, it's diverse. We think about the world in all the ways that we experience it. We think visually, we think in sound, we think kinesthetically. We think in abstract terms, we think in movement. Secondly, intelligence is dynamic. If you look at the interactions of a human brain,
Video examples
The science of symmetry...
from tangible things like butterflies, to abstract entities like geometric shapes. So, what does it mean for an object to be symmetric? Here's the a symmetry is a transformation that leaves that object unchanged. Okay, that sounds a bit abstract, so let's unpack it. It will help to look at a particular example,
Video examples
How to turn protest into...
Few of us think about civic life in the abstract. We think about things in relief compared to something else. Powerful citizens set the terms of that contrast. This doesn't mean being uncivil. It simply means thinking about a debate you want to have on your terms
Video examples
Should we get rid of...
Standardized tests can also have a hard time measuring abstract characteristics or skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. If we design a test poorly, or ask it to do the wrong job, or a job it's not very good at,
Video examples
Is math discovered or...
Their truth values are based on rules that humans created. Mathematics is thus an invented logic exercise, with no existence outside mankind's conscious thought, a language of abstract relationships based on patterns discerned by brains,
Video examples
Can you solve the frog...
The point is that information affects probability. And conditional probability isn't just the stuff of abstract mathematical games. It pops up in the real world, as well. Computers and other devices use conditional probability
Video examples
How fire shapes...
world ourselves as holders of the torch two narratives prevail one is the Promethean story it speaks of fire as technological power a fire is something abstracted from its setting perhaps by violence certainly
Video examples
Exploring the Bay of...
This one is about the technicalities of war. This is about the victims of war. So it like, goes from the very tangible here, - into a more abstract spiritual world. - That's right, yep. - Okay. - Yep.
Video examples
How to write descriptivel...
sight, and the sense of motion. It also plays with our ability to abstract and make complex associations. Look at the following sentence. "The world was ghost-quiet,
Video examples
The Smartest Parrots in...
What matter? -Wool. -Good boy. Griffin can also understand abstract concepts and even has the ability to use numbers. Now listen. How many?
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Steven Wright
American Comedian
The things I talk about and explain couldn't happen - yet, they don't seem impossible - you could say I talk about the world in an abstract perspective. But then, the world is basically insane - and it's trying to pass itself off as being a sane place. I show it for what it is.
Quote examples
Jhumpa Lahiri
American Author
When I write a book, characters come to life for me somewhere at the back of my head. I strive to make them flesh and blood in an abstract way, in words.
Quote examples
Gulzar
Indian Poet
NASA is my favorite website. The universe with its abstract nature attracts me. The abstract element in my poetry comes from there.
Quote examples
Georg C. Lichtenberg
German Scientist
Delight at having understood a very abstract and obscure system leads most people to believe in the truth of what it demonstrates.
Quote examples
Stephen Hawking
English Physicist
The universe is governed by science. But science tells us that we can't solve the equations, directly in the abstract.
Quote examples
James J. Gibson
American Psychologist
The abstract analysis of the world by mathematics and physics rests on the concepts of space and time.
Quote examples
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
American Writer
Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.
Quote examples
James Balog
American Photographer
Climate change is a really abstract thing in most of the world.
Quote examples
Twyla Tharp
American Dancer
I'm not satisfied sitting in just the world of abstract work.
Quote examples
Lance Henriksen
American Actor
In every respect, fantasy is like doing abstract paintings.
Quote examples
Steven Wright
American Comedian
The things I talk about and explain couldn't happen - yet, they don't seem impossible - you could say I talk about the world in an abstract perspective. But then, the world is basically insane - and it's trying to pass itself off as being a sane place. I show it for what it is.
Quote examples
Jhumpa Lahiri
American Author
When I write a book, characters come to life for me somewhere at the back of my head. I strive to make them flesh and blood in an abstract way, in words.
Quote examples
Gulzar
Indian Poet
NASA is my favorite website. The universe with its abstract nature attracts me. The abstract element in my poetry comes from there.
Quote examples
Georg C. Lichtenberg
German Scientist
Delight at having understood a very abstract and obscure system leads most people to believe in the truth of what it demonstrates.
Quote examples
Stephen Hawking
English Physicist
The universe is governed by science. But science tells us that we can't solve the equations, directly in the abstract.
Quote examples
James J. Gibson
American Psychologist
The abstract analysis of the world by mathematics and physics rests on the concepts of space and time.
Quote examples
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
American Writer
Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.
Quote examples
James Balog
American Photographer
Climate change is a really abstract thing in most of the world.
Quote examples
Twyla Tharp
American Dancer
I'm not satisfied sitting in just the world of abstract work.
Quote examples
Lance Henriksen
American Actor
In every respect, fantasy is like doing abstract paintings.
Example 1 of 10
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