THE ABSTRACT NOUNS

THE ABSTRACT NOUNS

What Are Abstract Nouns?

The abstract noun is used to refer to something which is not tangible. We are now going to look at some examples of this, as you can see the nouns in the following phrases are not things which can be physically sensed.

For example:

He showed a lot of bravery when fighting the lion.

Sarah has a lot of intelligence.

This is an easy concept to understand and in this section we are going to fully explain the abstract noun so that you can become confident in using them within your spoken and written English.

In English, Abstract nouns refer to abstract objects which you cannot see, hear, touch, smell, or taste (ideas or concepts).

If you can perceive something through one of your senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell), the name of that thing is a concrete noun. If the thing you are describing is not a physical object, its name is an abstract noun. In the sentence “New clothes bring me joy,” “clothes” is a concrete noun; “joy” is an abstract noun.

Abstract Nouns List in English (A-Z)

Ability Adoration Advantage Adventure Amazement Anger Annoyance Anxiety Appetite Apprehension Artistry Awareness Awe Beauty Belief Bravery Brilliance Brutality Calm Care Chaos Charity Childhood Clarity Cleverness Coldness Comfort Communication Compassion Confidence Confusion Contentment Courage Crime Curiosity Customer service Death Deceit Dedication Defeat Delay Delight Despair Determination Dexterity Dictatorship Disappointment Disbelief Dishonesty Disquiet Disregard Disturbance Divorce Dream Education Ego Elegance Envy Evil Failure Faith Fascination Fear Fiction Fragility Freedom Friendship Gain Generation Generosity Goal Goodness Gossip Growth Happiness Hate Hatred Hope Horror Hurt Idea Infancy

Insanity Intelligence Irritation Joy Justice Kindness Laughter Law Liberty Lie Life Loneliness Loss Love Luck Luxury Maturity Mercy Movement Music Nap Need Opinion Opportunity Pain Patience Peace Peculiarity Perseverance Pleasure Poverty Power Pride Principle Reality Relaxation Relief Religion Restoration Riches Right Rumour / Rumor Sacrifice Sanity Satisfaction Self-control Sensitivity Service Shock Silliness Skill Sleep Sorrow Speed Strength Strictness Success Surprise Talent Thrill Timing Tiredness Tolerance Trend Trust Uncertainty Unemployment Union Unreality Victory Wariness Warmth Weakness Wealth Weariness Wisdom Wit Worry Infatuation Inflation

 

Abstract Noun Examples

An employer should appraise the ability of his employees.

He felt he would burst with anger and shame.

I opened the packet just to satisfy my curiosity.

Her dedication to her work was admirable.

He listened in disbelief to this extraordinary story.

He is admired for the elegance of his writing.

Our friendship has steadily strengthened over the years.

The economic growth dipped to a low point last year.

May Christmas and the New Year be filled with happiness for you.

He has no hope of passing the examination.

Inflation is considered to be undesirable because of its adverse effects on income distribution.

We must face tomorrow, whatever it may hold, with determination, joy, and bravery.

Without respect, love cannot go far.

In my humble opinion, he will win the election.

I take it as a pleasure to attend your lecture.

He smiled in satisfaction when he won the race.

The onrush of tears took me by surprise.

The trend at the moment is towards a more natural and less made-up look.

Unemployment is likely to go on rising this year.

Wisdom in the mind is better than money in the hand.

He has exhibited symptoms of anxiety and overwhelming worry.