Sometimes it’s better to see examples to understand. Examples of abstract nounsĪs we’ve said, abstract nouns can be hard to describe because they elude the senses.

For example, Karl Marx is a proper noun, but Marxism is an abstract noun, even though it’s still capitalized.

However, this can get confusing if a philosophical idea is derived from a proper noun. Proper nouns like the Empire State Building, Kathmandu, or Mister Rogers represent things that are specific and tangible. (Even though you can use your five senses to perceive the signs of anger, such as seeing a red face or hearing a gruff tone.)īy default, proper nouns are never abstract nouns.

You can touch a chair and see a chair, but you can’t touch or see anger itself. If you can’t, then it’s an abstract noun.Ĭonsider the difference between anger, an abstract noun, and chair, a concrete noun. If you can see, hear, taste, smell, or touch it, then it’s a concrete noun. concrete nouns here, but there’s a quick and easy way to tell them apart. But some things aren’t actually things ! Ideas, emotions, personality traits, and philosophical concepts don’t exist in the physical world-you can’t sense them or interact with them-so we call them abstract nouns to differentiate them from concrete nouns. Nouns in general represent things (including people, places, objects, and ideas). The word abstract refers to something that exists apart from concrete existence, which is why the term describes nouns that we can't perceive in a sensory way.Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly What are abstract nouns? They’re both hard to define or explain, but when you see it, you know. democracy (you can hear senators debating, but you can’t see democracy)Ībstract nouns are similar to abstract art.memories (you can see photos, but you can’t see memories with your eyes).wisdom (you can read a book, but you can’t see wisdom).fury (you can hear someone yelling, but you can’t see fury).kindness (you can see a person being kind, but not kindness itself).humor (you can hear laughing, but you can’t see humor).You may feel them emotionally, but not with your sense of touch.Įxamples of abstract nouns that you may not have considered to be nouns (or abstract) include: These nouns represent an aspect, concept, idea, experience, state of being, trait, quality, or emotion. We define abstract nouns as nouns that you can’t directly experience by any of the human senses.

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