abstraction

/æbˈstrækʃən/
noun
  1. An idea or concept that exists in the mind rather than as a physical object; something general or theoretical rather than concrete.
    • The artist's painting was full of abstractions, not realistic images.
    • The idea of 'justice' is an abstraction that people interpret differently.
    • In math class, we learned about numbers as abstractions that represent quantities.
  2. The state of being lost in thought; absent-mindedness.
    • The professor's abstraction was so deep that he walked past his own office.
    • He stared out the window in abstraction, not hearing his name called.
    • Her abstraction during the meeting made her miss the important announcement.
  3. The process of removing or separating something from a larger whole; the act of considering something independently of its associations.
    • The abstraction of water from the river is strictly regulated by the government.
    • The philosopher discussed the abstraction of beauty from individual objects.
    • In computer science, abstraction allows programmers to hide complex details.
What does "abstraction" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean