What Are Abstract Nouns? Definition and Examples

Everything you see around has a name which is known as a noun in English grammar. There are things that you cannot see or perceive in any possible way, but they exist. Like our thoughts, ideas, emotions, qualities, etc.

You cannot see ‘air’ too but you can perceive it, feel it through your skin. We are talking about things that are not physical. Names given to those entities are called abstract nouns.

For instance: happiness, love, freedom, loyalty, time, and intelligence.

The things that you can sense with your five natural senses are opposite to abstract noun and are known as concrete nouns.

In this article, I am discussing the concept of abstract nouns with examples. I am going to include definitions, uses, tips and tricks also.

So, let’s get started!

Abstract nouns vs. concrete nouns

I am going to start with the difference between abstract and concrete nouns so you will have a clear understanding.

Define Concrete nouns

The names given to things that you can actually touch and feel are concrete nouns. These nouns can be detected by any of our five natural senses.

Examples of concrete nouns:

This is a book
I have a car
Trees protect our atmosphere
My mother plants flowers
She is buying a new table

What are Abstract nouns?

There are other entities that are known by a name but cannot be felt or detected by any of our senses, we call them abstract nouns. It is not difficult to know that they are intangible.

Examples of abstract nouns:

Happiness is important for a good life
Love is blind
Freedom is a basic human right
Intelligence is to know when to stop
Beauty of the flower was imminent

Examples of Abstract noun

An abstract noun is a part of speech that includes a wide variety of intangible assets. Most of them are as follows:

Time designations

We always talk about time but we cannot touch or feel it in any way possible. That is why it falls into abstract nouns.

I will be home this Sunday
It takes hours to cook
He was born somewhere in early 2000s
It is almost midnight
You were not here yesterday
Nobody can see the future
It has been centuries since the last meteor strike

States of being

The state in which anything is present is also an abstract noun as it cannot be touched.

Impermanence is a quality of life
The presence of mind is important
Activation of this software requires time
Everything defines the existence of God
Everybody is aware of my solidity
There is chaos everywhere
May his soul rest in peace!

Cultural/political/social movements

Social movements are also intangible, they are done physically but can you touch them? No, so they are also abstract nouns.

Romanticism of historical events is not a good practice
She supports feminism
Modernism has made some values obsolete
Conservatism is the opposite of modernism
Republicanism is a political ideology
Marxism was popular in the 19th century

Personal qualities and emotions

Human emotions and qualities can be named and called but cannot be touched or through a sense.

Anger can lead to a crime
Love is blind
My life is full of happiness
Hard work led him to exhaustion
I am having a nostalgia
Do not show presumptuousness when you talk about her

Philosophical and academic concepts

Philosophical concepts are mental processes, not physical objects, which is why they are also categorized as abstract nouns.

Pathos is a quality of a good human being
Behold the beauty of mother earth
These are not the ethics of work
My major is Ontology

Note:

Abstract nouns are basic to abstract thinking; they allow us to conceptualize and think about the reasons for intangible ideas.

Formation of abstract nouns with suffixes

We use many suffixes in the spellings of some adjectives, verbs, and other nouns to make an abstract noun.

These suffixes are added in the basic forms of other parts pf speech to create an abstract:

-ness: Added to the adjectives to form abstract nouns.

Example: happy + ness = happiness

-ity: Added to adjectives or nouns to form abstract nouns.

Example: cruel + ity = cruelty

-tion: Often added to verbs to form abstract nouns.

Example: act + ion = action

-ment: Added to verbs to form abstract nouns.

Example: move + ment = movement

-ance/-ence: Added to verbs or adjectives to form abstract nouns.

Example: important + ance = importance

-hood: Often used to indicate a state or condition.

Example: child + hood = childhood

-ship: denotes a state, condition, or relationship.

Example: friend + ship = friendship

Using abstract nouns in a sentence or paragraph

Abstract nouns add new elements to our language by allowing us to express or feel intangible concepts.

We can convey emotions, ideas, and qualities because of them. For instance, if we say “I’m experiencing an extreme sense of sadness” we can just say “I feel bad” because of abstract nouns.

If you ever need help rewriting or rephrasing your writing, be sure to check out our powerful AI-powered paragraph rewriter tool.

In the above example, “sadness” is an abstract noun. It has made the sentence more readable by infusing emotion.

To write abstract nouns in a paragraph, you can refer them using the pronoun “it” to avoid repetitions. As in the following example, I have used ‘it’ in the place of ‘bad’

“I feel bad about that accident. It causes head to ache.”

Note:

The use of abstract nouns can significantly impact our brain processing and psychological attention.

Like “justice,” “love,” or “truth” can provoke strong emotional responses and influence people's attitudes and beliefs.

Countable and uncountable abstract nouns

Like any physical object or concreate noun, abstract nouns are also divided into countable and uncountable nouns.

Non-physical objects can can be measured, fall into countable category and those who cannot be measured make the list under uncountable nouns.

Uncountable abstract nouns

Uncountable abstract nouns are intangible things that cannot be counted. They are used with singular verbs and do not take a plural form.

Examples: happiness, knowledge, beauty, love, courage, and freedom.

Happiness: Baseball is a source of happiness for me.
Knowledge: He has a great knowledge about history.

Countable abstract nouns

Countable abstract nouns refer to mental processes that are not properly measured or counted but they have a plural noun to hint that they are multiple in number.

Examples: idea, belief, experience, thought, decision.

Ideas: She had many different ideas about the project
Decisions: Important decisions take time

Usage of abstract nouns

As we have completed the definitions and differences in the previous sections, we are gonna explore the usage of abstract nouns. You can use them to:

Convey emotions: “Her happiness was contagious.”
Describe qualities: “His honesty is admirable.”
Represent concepts: “Freedom is a fundamental human right.”
Create imagery: “Love is a battlefield.”

However, overuse of abstract nouns can make writing unclear or vague. Keep the context in mind.

If specification is required, then use concrete nouns or examples to explain the abstract concept.

Remember that balance is key. Effective use of abstract nouns enhances your writing, while excessive use can block clarity.

Conclusion

Abstract nouns are fundamental to our language. They allow us to communicate through intangible concepts. They give our statements, sentences, or paragraphs the shape and essence of emotions, ideas, and qualities.

While it may seem difficult to track them down compared to concrete nouns. They are just simple words given to pure human mental processes.

Understanding the concept and use of abstract nouns is important for effective communication. And a deeper understanding of language.

Unlock the secrets of abstract nouns today!

Other Related blogs:

FAQs

1. How to identify an abstract noun?

An easy way to identify an abstract noun in a sentence is to try creating an image in your mind. If you can form an image in your mind, it is not abstract noun. But if you cannot, it is an abstract noun.

For example: Can you visualize happiness? No! So it is an abstract noun.

2. How can I differentiate between abstract and concrete nouns?

It is quite easy to differentiate them once you clear the concept of tangibility. If you think that this thing can be touched and felt, it is concrete, if not, it is abstract.

3. Can abstract nouns be plural?

Yes, they can be plural. They can also be counted using quantifiers, especially when they refer to a specific concept.

For example, "ideas," "beliefs," and "experiences" are plural abstract nouns.