semiabstract

S1E1M3I1A1B3S1T1R1A1C3T1

adjective

Not entirely abstract; between abstract and concrete

Similar
nonrepresentational
OriginEnglish abstract ← Middle English abstract ← Latin abstractus →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

adjectivesemiabstract (not comparable)
  1. not comparableartNot entirely abstract; between abstract and concrete

    In the second, only the tracks are visible, glowing luminously at night, and this semiabstract image is held on the screen for an extended length of time.

    1988 January 22, Jonathan Rosenbaum, “Huckleberry Fem”, in Chicago Reader

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivecharacterized by stylized but recognizable subject matter

Similar
nonrepresentational

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sēmi
  3. Latinsēmi-
  4. Englishsemi-
  5. Latinabstrahō
  6. Latinabstractus
  7. Middle Englishabstract
  8. Englishabstract
  9. Englishsemiabstract

From semi- + abstract.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

semiabstract. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semiabstract

MLA

“semiabstract.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semiabstract. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “semiabstract,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semiabstract.

Source: semiabstract on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.