abstracting
Distilling key points
Abstracting is the process of drawing out essential qualities while leaving behind particulars.
A researcher abstracts key findings from a longer study.
In library science, abstracting means writing summaries of articles or books.
The word also covers the act of removing or extracting: Someone had been abstracting funds from the account.
More philosophically, abstracting is how we move from concrete instances to general concepts—seeing "redness" across many red things.
Reducing in volume
- distillingPurifying through vaporization
- synopsisCondensed version of content
- outlineSummary of key elements
- précisConcise summary of text
briefing · overview · encapsulation · abridgment · compendium · digest · epitomizing · paraphrasing
Making less or smaller
- streamliningMaking more aerodynamic or efficient
- strippingRemoving outer layers
- paringCutting away rind
- distillingPurifying through vaporization
eliminating · isolating · filtering · separating · removing · excising · pruning · trimming
Assigning to groups
- conceptualizingForming mental representations
- universalizingExtending to all cases
- typifyingEmbodying characteristic qualities
- classifyingSorting into types
extrapolating · broadening · encompassing · integrating · unifying · systematizing · schematizing · formalizing
Not depicting reality
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
- cubismGeometric, fragmented visual style
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
nonobjective · Kandinsky · Mondrian · Pollock · stylizing · deconstructing · fragmenting · reducing
Forming mental representations
- hypothesizingProposing untested explanations
- speculatingGuessing without certainty
- philosophizingEngaging in abstract reasoning
- postulatingAssuming as basis for reasoning
reasoning · deducing · inferring · formulating · modeling · conjecturing · positing · supposing
condensing
Reducing in volume
- distillingPurifying through vaporization
- synopsisCondensed version of content
- outlineSummary of key elements
précis · briefing · overview · encapsulation · abridgment · compendium · digest · epitomizing · paraphrasing · recapitulating
reducing
Making less or smaller
- streamliningMaking more aerodynamic or efficient
- strippingRemoving outer layers
- paringCutting away rind
distilling · eliminating · isolating · filtering · separating · removing · excising · pruning · trimming · extracting
categorizing
Assigning to groups
- conceptualizingForming mental representations
- universalizingExtending to all cases
- typifyingEmbodying characteristic qualities
classifying · extrapolating · broadening · encompassing · integrating · unifying · systematizing · schematizing · formalizing · modeling
nonrepresentational
Not depicting reality
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
- cubismGeometric, fragmented visual style
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
geometric · nonobjective · Kandinsky · Mondrian · Pollock · stylizing · deconstructing · fragmenting · reducing · distorting
conceptualizing
Forming mental representations
- hypothesizingProposing untested explanations
- speculatingGuessing without certainty
- philosophizingEngaging in abstract reasoning
postulating · reasoning · deducing · inferring · formulating · modeling · conjecturing · positing · supposing · extrapolating
- cognitionthinking, reasoning, thought, cognition, remembering
- organizingorganizing, categorizing, grouping, structuring, classifying
- generalizingcategorizing, grouping, oversimplifying, blanket statements, umbrella terms
- summarizingsummary, synopsis, abridgment, condensation, digest
- library sciencelibrary catalogs, call numbers, Library of Congress, holdings, collections
- bibliographybibliography, annotated bibliography, bibliographers, bibliographies, citations
abstractingadding
Joining to increase
inserting · including · incorporating · appending · supplementing
abstractingelaborating
Developing in greater detail
expanding · detailing · fleshing out · amplifying · explicating
abstractingconcretizing
Making abstract things tangible
specifying · particularizing · instantiating · exemplifying · materializing
- lyrical abstractionExpressive, non-representational painting movement
- hardware abstractionLayer hiding physical components