- absence of mind; preoccupation
- the process of formulating generalized ideas or concepts by extracting common qualities from specific examples
- an idea or concept formulated in this way: good and evil are abstractions
- an abstract painting, sculpture, etc
- the act of withdrawing or removing
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ab•strac•tion /æbˈstrækʃən/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- an abstract or general idea or term:[countable]The idea of injustice was just an abstraction to her.
- [uncountable] absent-mindedness;
inattention.
ab•strac•tion
(ab strak′shən),USA pronunciation n.
ab•strac′tion•al, adj.
- an abstract or general idea or term.
- the act of considering something as a general quality or characteristic, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.
- an impractical idea;
something visionary and unrealistic. - the act of taking away or separating;
withdrawal:The sensation of cold is due to the abstraction of heat from our bodies. - secret removal, esp. theft.
- absent-mindedness;
inattention;
mental absorption. - Fine Art
- the abstract qualities or characteristics of a work of art.
- a work of art, esp. a nonrepresentational one, stressing formal relationships.
- Late Latin abstractiōn- (stem of abstractiō) separation. See abstract, -ion
- 1540–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
abstraction /æbˈstrækʃən/ n
'abstraction' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
abstract
- condenser
- muse
- personify
- abstractionism
- abstractionist
- Aditya
- constructivism
- content
- distillate
- embodiment
- first principle
- lady
- measure
- net
- personification
- phobic
- reverie
- semi-abstract
- small
- study
- subnet
- syntax