abstract
/'æbstrækt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Dealing with ideas and concepts rather than physical objects or specific examples: "Abstract" describes something that exists as a thought or idea, not as a concrete, tangible thing.
- Not representing physical reality: In art, "abstract" refers to a style that does not attempt to represent external reality accurately.
- Theoretical, not applied: "Abstract" can describe thinking or science that is concerned with general ideas and principles rather than practical application.
Noun:
- A summary of a text: An "abstract" is a short statement of the main points of a book, article, or speech.
- A concept or idea considered in a general way: An "abstract" is a theoretical concept, not connected to a real, specific instance.
Verb:
- To summarize: To "abstract" means to make a summary of a longer piece of writing.
- To consider something theoretically: To "abstract" means to think about a quality or idea separately from any specific object or example.
- To remove or extract: To "abstract" means to take something out or away from something else.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Philosophy is often a very abstract subject.
- The museum has a collection of modern abstract paintings.
- We discussed the problem in abstract terms before looking at real cases.
Noun:
- Please write a 200-word abstract of your research paper.
- He was interested in the idea of freedom in the abstract, but the practical details were difficult.
Verb:
- She abstracted the key findings from the long report.
- It is hard to abstract the concept of justice from all cultural influences.
- The thief abstracted the wallet from the man's pocket.
Advanced Usage
"In the abstract": considered theoretically, without reference to a specific instance.
- Democracy is a great idea in the abstract, but its implementation is complex.
"Abstract away from": to ignore specific details in order to focus on general principles.
- To understand the theory, we must abstract away from the messy real-world data.
Variants and Related Words
- Abstraction (n): The quality of being abstract; a general idea.
- The artist's work moved towards greater abstraction.
- Abstracted (adj): Lost in thought; not paying attention.
- He had an abstracted look, as if thinking about something else entirely.
- Abstractly (adv): In an abstract way.
- He was speaking very abstractly about the nature of time.
Synonyms
- Theoretical: Concerned with theory rather than practice.
- Conceptual: Based on mental concepts.
- Nonrepresentational (in art): Not depicting recognizable objects.
Related Phrasal Verbs
(Note: "Abstract" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. The verb is typically used transitively or with prepositions like "from.")
Related Idioms
- Abstract noun: In grammar, a noun that names an idea, quality, or state rather than a physical object (e.g., , , ).
- "Love" is an abstract noun.
Adjective
- dealing with a subject in the abstract without practical purpose or intention
- abstract reasoning
- abstract science
- not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature
- a large abstract painting
- existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment
- abstract words like `truth' and `justice'
Noun
- a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory
- a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance
- he loved her only in the abstract--not in person
Verb
- give an abstract (of)
- consider apart from a particular case or instance
- Let's abstract away from this particular example
- make off with belongings of others
- consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically