Synonyms for abstract
- verb
- adjective
- noun
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Steal — to separate; to disengage. To steal; to take away; to remove without permission
steal, purloin, appropriate, pilfer, take, swipe, hook, pinch, cabbage, filch, seize, lift, snatch, sneak, nip, snarf slang, nobble slang
2. Separate — to separate; to disengage. To remove; to take away; withdraw
separate, detach, remove, part, isolate, withdraw, disengage, dissociate, eliminate
3. Epitomize — to summarize; to abridge; to epitomize
epitomize UK US, epitomise UK, summarize, summarise UK, abbreviate, abridge, recapitulate
Other
Adjective
1. Conceptual — not concrete, conceptual, ideal. Insufficiently factual
conceptual, theoretical, ideal, formal, non-empirical, imaginary, intangible, incorporeal, notional, lack-life
2. Representational — pertaining comprehensively to, or representing, a class or group of objects, as opposed to any specific…
representational, non-specific, general, generalized, generalised UK, generic
3. Abstractionist
4. Attributive — separately expressing a property or attribute of an object that is considered to be inherent to that object…
attributive, ascriptive
Other
abstruse formal, metaphysical, take-away, ideational, recondite, occult
Noun
1. Synopsis — A summary title of the key points detailing a tract of land, for ownership; abstract of title
synopsis, summary, compendium, epitome, abridgment US, abridgement UK, abbreviation, syllabus, digest, breviary, conspectus, compend, brief dated
Other
Definitions
- v. 1
To separate; to disengage. To remove; to take away; withdraw.
- v. 2
To separate; to disengage. To steal; to take away; to remove without permission.
- adj. 1
Not concrete: conceptual, ideal. Insufficiently factual.
- n. 1
A summary title of the key points detailing a tract of land, for ownership; abstract of title.
Related words
Forms
- Plural
- abstracts → synopses, summaries, compendiums, epitomes…
- Past participle
- abstracted
e.g. abstracted → purloined, appropriated, pilfered, taken…
Choose the right word
An abstract or digest is an independent statement of what the book contains. We may have an abridgment of a dictionary, but not an analysis, abstract, digest, or summary.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- filch When I was a kid, I used to filch candy bars all the time.
- purloin This boy tried to purloin my wallet on the streetcar.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| abstract | falling | |
| filch | steady | |
| purloin | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- nip1
- 4 letters
- take1, part1, lift1, hook1
- 5 letters
- brief1, steal1, ideal2, sneak1, pinch1, seize1, swipe1, filch1, snarf
- 6 letters
- remove2, formal2, digest2, snatch1, divert2, occult2, detach2, pilfer2, precis2, nobble
- 7 letters
- general3, summary3, generic3, outline2, isolate3, cabbage2, epitome4, abridge2, purloin2, compend
- 8 letters
- separate3, withdraw2, synopsis3, syllabus3, notional3, abstruse2, breviary
- 9 letters
- eliminate4, imaginary5, summarize3, disengage3, summarise, epitomize4, recondite3, epitomise
- 10 letters
- conceptual4, intangible4, compendium4, dissociate4, abbreviate4, abridgment, ideational, conspectus, ascriptive
- 11 letters
- appropriate4, theoretical5, generalized4, abstraction3, generalised, incorporeal, abridgement3, attributive
- 12 letters
- metaphysical5, abbreviation5, recapitulate5, nonobjective
- 13 letters
- nonfigurative
- 14 letters
- abstractionist
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ideal2 = 2 syllables).