Abstract words include both nouns and adjectives, providing us with a way to represent intangible conditions or concepts. By learning and having a greater understanding of abstract words, we can improve our communication skills, social skills and even our overall intelligence.
- 70% of the most frequently used 500 words in the TASA corpus have been classified as abstract according to a psycholinguistic database analysis.
- Studies that have involved a large number of representative English noun samples find that over 40% are categorized by humans as being abstract.
- A study into the effects of learning abstract words at 4th and 5th grade level showed a significant correlation with increased intelligence quotients.
- 4th graders were able to increase their IQ scores by 5.55% and 5th graders increased their IQ scores by 5.89% after repeated exposure to abstract words.
- Just 10% of a 3-year-olds’ vocabulary is abstract and this number rises to 25% in 5-year olds.
- However, by age 11, over 60% of the vocabulary is abstract.
- Despite the positives, texts that contain a higher number of abstract words are more difficult for the reader to understand.
- This happens as the reader or listener needs to process and construct visual representations in their mind.
- Within the military, abstract words can be used but their usage is recommended to be coupled with specific examples to prevent avoidable confusion.
- In comparison to abstract words, concrete words provide better clarity and readability.
Abstract words list
Below is a wordlist of commonly used abstract words alongside with their general topic. It is important to note that due to their nature, some abstract words may span multiple topics depending on the context the word is used in.
| Word | Topic |
| Agony | Emotions |
| Anger | Emotions |
| Anticipation | Environment |
| Anxiety | Emotions |
| Apathy | Concepts |
| Arrogance | Emotions |
| Awe | Environment |
| Balance | Environment |
| Beauty | Concepts |
| Bond | Relationships |
| Boredom | Emotions |
| Compassion | Relationships |
| Confidence | Emotions |
| Confusion | Emotions |
| Connection | Relationships |
| Contentment | Emotions |
| Cooperation | Relationships |
| Courage | Emotions |
| Creativity | Concepts |
| Cruelty | Relationships |
| Democracy | Concepts |
| Desire | Relationships |
| Disgust | Emotions |
| Doubt | Emotions |
| Empathy | Relationships |
| Enthusiasm | Emotions |
| Envy | Relationships |
| Equality | Concepts |
| Eternity | Time |
| Evil | Concepts |
| Evolution | Time |
| Excitement | Emotions |
| Faith | Concepts |
| Fate | Concepts |
| Fear | Emotions |
| Freedom | Concepts |
| Frustration | Emotions |
| Genius | Concepts |
| Glory | Concepts |
| Grief | Emotions |
| Guilt | Emotions |
| Harmony | Environment |
| Honesty | Relationships |
| Hope | Emotions |
| Ignorance | Concepts |
| Infinity | Time |
| Injustice | Concepts |
| Intimacy | Relationships |
| Jealousy | Relationships |
| Joy | Emotions |
| Justice | Concepts |
| Knowledge | Concepts |
| Legacy | Time |
| Liberty | Concepts |
| Loneliness | Environment |
| Love | Relationships |
| Lust | Relationships |
| Maturity | Concepts |
| Misery | Emotions |
| Momentum | Time |
| Motivation | Emotions |
| Optimism | Emotions |
| Paranoia | Environment |
| Patience | Time |
| Permanence | Time |
| Perseverance | Time |
| Pessimism | Emotions |
| Pity | Emotions |
| Pride | Emotions |
| Progress | Time |
| Rage | Emotions |
| Regret | Emotions |
| Renewal | Time |
| Resilience | Environment |
| Responsibility | Concepts |
| Sadness | Emotions |
| Serenity | Environment |
| Shame | Emotions |
| Solidarity | Relationships |
| Surprise | Emotions |
| Sustainability | Environment |
| Sympathy | Relationships |
| Tolerance | Relationships |
| Tranquility | Environment |
| Transformation | Time |
| Transition | Time |
| Trust | Relationships |
| Truth | Concepts |
| Unity | Concepts |
| Vice | Concepts |
| Vitality | Environment |
| Wilderness | Environment |
| Wisdom | Concepts |
| Wonder | Environment |
If you are searching for additional abstract words to include in your favorite word game, take a look at our word letter solver. Simply add the letters available to you for your next move, refine the search to your needs (for example, a length of 8-letters) and hit search to find words with ease.
Abstract words and intelligence
- Research has found that there is a link between individuals that show a strong understanding of abstract words and having a higher level of intelligence.
- This is partly due to the fact that abstract words typically require us to think more deeply about their context and meaning, when compared to concrete words.
- Abstract words force us to use critical thinking skills to interpret the concept(s) being represented.
- Practicing this with regularity, we can train our overall cognitive skills and develop our level of intelligence.
Abstract words effect on grades 4 and 5 students
- A study of 153 students in grades 4 and 5 shows that exposure to abstract words contributed towards increasing their average intelligence quotient scores.
- Students in grade 4 originally tested 107.12 on average prior to the study but this jumped 5.55% to 113.06 after the exposure.
- The effect on grade 5 students was even greater, averaging 108.97 before and 115.39 after (an increase of 5.89%).
| Grade | Number of students | Mean (pre-test) | Mean (post-test) | Change |
| 4 | 81 | 107.12 | 113.06 | +5.55% |
| 5 | 72 | 108.97 | 115.39 | +5.89% |
A graph is given below to show how exposure to abstract words for students in grades 4-5 affects intelligence quotients:
Abstract words and communication
- Abstract words form a key component for people with a high-level of written and spoken communication.
- Through abstract words, we are able to better express complex topics in a way that differs from just using concrete words.
- As an example, through abstract words we can communicate the different emotions we feel without needing to describe the physical effects that each emotion has on the body.
- Without the use of abstract words, our level of communication would be much more limited and lacking in expression.
Abstract words and education
- When it comes to achieving academic success, abstract words are an essential part of one’s vocabulary.
- Abstract words often feature in educational textbooks, scholarly articles and academic writing.
- Students that increase their understanding of abstract words should also find they can better comprehend and analyze written academic works.
- This can also help them when writing their own academic texts.
Abstract words and social skills
- Many abstract words are used to describe emotions and ideas related to social relationships.
- For example, “empathy”, “honesty” and “solidarity” can all be used to describe states that help people to gain comfort and trust in one another.
- By successfully interpreting the true meaning of abstract words, humans can increase their awareness and understanding for the other people around them.
Abstract words FAQ
What are abstract words?
- Abstract words can represent concepts, ideas and qualities.
- They describe things that cannot be typically perceived by using the five senses.
- Often, abstract words can take on a different meaning to each person, which adds a higher level of complexity when it comes to their comprehension.
- Furthermore, abstract words can be either adjectives or nouns.
What are abstract nouns?
- Abstract nouns are part of a subset within abstract words.
- Instead of referring to a tangible object, abstract nouns can refer to a concept, quality or state.
- Although all abstract nouns are abstract words, there are also abstract words that are not nouns.