1. the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events or physical objects
2. a general idea or concept formed by extracting common features from specific examples
3. the process of removing or separating something
Usage: formal

Examples

• The concept of justice is an abstraction that philosophers have debated for centuries.
• Mathematics deals with abstractions like numbers and geometric shapes.
• Her painting moved away from realism toward pure abstraction.
• The abstraction of water from the solution left behind pure crystals.
• He stared out the window in complete abstraction, unaware of the meeting around him.
• Students often struggle with the abstraction of algebraic concepts.
• The artist’s work represented the abstraction of human emotions through color and form.