Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| абстра́ктный | abstráktnyj | |
| отвлечённый | otvlečónnyj | [ɐtvlʲɪˈt͡ɕɵnːɨj] (narrow) |
Both terms describe things that are apart from practice or reality and not concrete. In technical, mathematical or scientific contexts, абстрактный is the standard term used for non-concrete concepts. Other related nouns include абстра́кция for an abstraction, and конспе́кт, рефера́т or сино́псис for an abridgement or summary.
What does it mean word for word?
The word отвлечённый is derived from the verb meaning to distract or divert, and literally means something that has been drawn away from the concrete.
Which one should you use?
While абстрактный is used for mathematical or theoretical concepts, отвлечённый is often used to describe something that is detached from reality or a person's thoughts that are wandering/unfocused.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective абстрактный must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, such as the neuter абстрактное.
How do you pronounce it?
abstráktnyj
Did you know?
- While абстра́ктный describes a concept, the word отвлечённый is commonly used to describe a person who is daydreaming or 'spaced out'.
- The term сино́псис is used in Russian, but it is often reserved for the structural outline of a plot rather than a general academic abstract.
- While 'abstract' in English can mean a summary of a paper, in Russian, calling a summary a рефера́т implies a specific type of academic report or student research paper.
Examples in context
- Я написал аннотацию к своему исследованию.I wrote an abstract for my research.
- Он представил реферат на конференции.He presented an abstract at the conference.
- Можешь мне дать краткое содержание этой книги?Can you give me a summary of this book?
- В статье было представлено краткое содержание текущих научных исследований.The article provided an abstract of current scientific research.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “abstract” translations and entries отвлечённый, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
