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Abstract Noun
What Is an Abstract Noun?
An abstract noun is a noun that refers to an intangible concept such as an emotion, a feeling, a quality, or an idea. In other words, an abstract noun does not refer to a physical object.It is sometimes helpful to think of an abstract noun as a word that names something that you cannot see, hear, touch, smell, or taste (i.e., something you cannot perceive with one of your five senses). For example:
- consideration, parenthood, belief, anger
Table of Contents
- More Examples of Abstract Nouns
- Find the Abstract Noun Test
- Abstract Nouns vs Concrete Nouns
- List of Abstract Nouns
- Why Abstract Nouns Are Important
- Video Lesson
- Printable Test

More Examples of Abstract Nouns
Here are some more examples of abstract nouns categorized under conceptual headings:Heading | Examples |
---|---|
feelings | anxiety, fear, pleasure, stress, sympathy |
states | being, freedom, misery, chaos, luxury |
emotions | anger, hate, joy, grief, sorrow |
qualities | courage, patience, determination, generosity, honesty |
concepts | charity, deceit, opportunity, comfort, democracy |
moments | birthday, childhood, marriage, career, death |
Find the Abstract Noun Test
It's your go! Select the abstract noun.Abstract Nouns vs Concrete Nouns
Abstract nouns contrast with concrete noun, which denote tangible things, i.e., things that can be perceived with one of the five senses.Abstract Noun | Concrete Noun |
---|---|
luxury | silk |
success | money |
energy | gas |
friendship | friend |
luck | horseshoe |
love | kiss |
Abstract or Concrete? It Could Be Ambiguous.
It is not always easy to differentiate between an abstract noun and a concrete noun, and it is not unusual for students to argue over whether a noun is abstract or concrete. For example, "laughter" is often cited as an abstract noun, but "laughter" can be heard, which would make it a concrete noun.We would agree that "laughter" is a concrete noun, but what about "love," "work," and "result"? It is fairly easy to make cases for these being concrete nouns, but they are classified as abstract nouns. Be aware that the distinction between abstract noun and concrete noun is sometimes blurry.
Also, be aware that classifying a noun as abstract or concrete may depend on context or even the classifier's definition of perceivable. Look at these two examples:
- Working for Disney was a childhood dream come true. (American actress Brittany Curran) (In this context, "dream" is an abstract noun with a meaning similar to "hope.")
- When I was a little kid, I used to have a vivid recurring dream about Captain Hook. (American actress Cristin Milioti) (In this context, "dream" does not mean "hope." Here, "dream" could be classified as a concrete noun, especially if you think a dream is perceived via your senses.)
List of Abstract Nouns
Here are some more examples of abstract nouns:- anger, anxiety, beauty, beliefs, bravery, brilliance, chaos, charity, childhood, comfort, communication, compassion, courage, culture, curiosity, deceit, dedication, democracy, determination, energy, failure, faith, fear, freedom, friendship, generosity, gossip, happiness, hate, honesty, hope, imagination, information, integrity, intelligence, joy, justice, kindness, knowledge, liberty, life, love, loyalty, luxury, misery, motivation, opportunity, pain, patience, peace, perseverance, pleasure, pride, relaxation, sacrifice, satisfaction, skill, strength, success, sympathy, talent, thought, trust, truth, warmth, wisdom
- ...and my bicycle never leaned against the garage as it does today, all the dark blue speed drained out of it. (from "On Turning Ten" by American Poet Laureate Billy Collins (Here, Billy Collins uses concrete nouns to contemplate the abstract ideas of ageing and the loss of innocence.)
Remember that a noun is labelled as concrete or abstract based on its meaning not its grammatical function. In other words, abstract nouns and concrete nouns operate the same way grammatically.
- If writing a poem, consider expressing abstract ideas using concrete nouns.
Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos.
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