Moon children

adjective

1. thought of apart from any particular instances or material objects; not concrete
2. expressing a quality thought of apart from any particular or material object beauty is an abstract word
3. not easy to understand because of being extremely complex, remote from concrete reality, etc.; abstruse
4. theoretical; not practical or applied
5. designating or of art abstracted from reality, in which designs or forms may be definite and geometric or fluid and amorphous: a generic term that encompasses various nonrealistic contemporary schools

Etymology: < L abstractus, pp. of abstrahere, to draw from, separate < ab(s)-, from + trahere, to

noun

1. a brief statement of the essential content of a book, article, speech, court record, etc.; summary
2. an abstract thing, condition, idea, etc.

transitive verb

1. to take away; remove
2. to take dishonestly; steal
3. to think of (a quality) apart from any particular instance or material object that has it; also, to form (a general idea) from particular instances
4. to summarize; make an abstract of

abstract Idioms

in the abstract

in theory as apart from practice

abstract Related Forms

ab·stract′er noun, ab·stract′ly adverb, ab·stract′·ness noun

 Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

 

abstract Synonyms

abstract

modif.

1. Theoretical

, , , ; see .

2. Abstruse

, , ; see  2.

3. Nonrealistic

, , , , abstract expressionist, cubist; see also  1.

abstract

n.

, , ; see , . .

abstract

v.

1. To take away

, , ; see  1.

2. To prepare an abstract

, , ; see  2, .

 Copyright © 1999 by Wiley