Abstract Noun Definition, Examples with All Details

Abstract Noun: As we all have heard a noun is a naming word that refers to the name of a person, place, animal, thing, or idea. Have you ever wondered about the things that we can’t actually see or touch being also expressed or written in words? What are they called? Can we categorize them into a noun? Yes, the things that we can’t actually see or touch or can’t feel with the senses, can also be a noun which is known as an Abstract Noun. You may have not realized that you are using abstract nouns every day and in many different types of situations in your daily life. Words like Love, Fear, Hope, Power, Childhood, Patients etc. are abstract nouns you may come across. These are the emotions that you never touch or perceive by any of your five senses. Let’s find some more examples of these emotions or ideas that are known as abstract nouns to get a better understanding of whom we can classify as Abstract nouns.

What is an Abstract Noun?

In English Grammar, an abstract noun is defined as a noun that refers to an idea, feeling, state, quality, concept, experience, or event that cannot be seen, heard, tasted, smelt or touched by our senses. Abstract nouns in general are the names of things that do not exist in a material or physical form, they are not concrete or tangible.

Let's take some examples to understand the concepts of an abstract noun. Fear, Courage, Happiness, Trust, Patience, and Beauty are some things that can not be touched by our mere senses, they can only be felt or imagined in response to the behaviours. You can easily distinguish an Abstract noun from another naming word or noun by asking a simple question to yourself: can I eat, drink, see or touch that particular noun, if not then it is an abstract noun.

Abstract Noun Examples

Abstract nouns are classified into Emotions, Qualities, Ideas and Events, under which few examples are mentioned. The usage of abstract nouns in sentences is detailed in the article further.

1. Emotions- Love, Anger, Happiness, Sorrow, disappointment, Pride

2. Qualities-  Courage, Honesty, Patience, Trust, Dedication.

3. Ideas-  Adventure, Democracy, Luck, Opportunity, Comfort.

4. Events- Career, Birthday, Childhood, Future, Death

Abstract Noun (भाववाचक संज्ञा) Definition in Hindi

“एक संज्ञा को एक भाववाचक संज्ञा के रूप में परिभाषित किया जाता है जो एक विचार, भावना, राज्य, गुणवत्ता, अवधारणा, अनुभव या घटना को सम्बोधित करता हो जिसे हमारी इंद्रियों द्वारा देखा, सुना, चखा, सुंघा या स्पर्श नहीं किया जा सकता है। भाववाचक संज्ञा सामान्य रूप से गुण, क्रिया या अवस्था के नाम को दर्शाता है।”

उदहारण के लिए: Honesty (ईमानदारी), Bravery (वीरता), Hatred (घृणा), Laughter (हंसी), Poverty (गरीबी),

Conversion of Adjectives to Abstract Noun

Adjectives are words that describe or modify the qualities or states of a noun. By adding a suffix to the adjective we can change or convert it into an abstract noun. 

For Example

1. Honest - Honesty
2. Able - Ability
3. Angry - Anger
4. Hungry - Hunger
5. Happy - Happiness
6. Wise - Wisdom
7. Free - Freedom
8. Silent- Silence
9. Kind - Kindness
10. Beautiful - Beauty

Conversion of Common Noun to Abstract Noun

A common noun is a noun that denotes a class or group of people or people or things. A common noun can change to an Abstract noun by making some changes in the common noun.

For Example

1. Child - Childhood
2. Friend - Friendship
3. Member - Membership
4. Scholar - Scholarship
5. Mother - Motherhood

Conversion of Verbs to Abstract Noun

In a sentence, a verb are the words that describe an action or what the subject is doing. A verb can simply change to an abstract noun by adding some suffix to the verb. The vice versa is also correct i.e if you can remove the suffix from an abstract noun it denotes an action word that is a verb.

For Example

1. Behave - Behavior
2. Decide - Decision
3. Appear - Appearance
4. Enjoy - Enjoyment
5. Laugh - Laughter
6. Please - Pleasure
7. Inform - Information
8. Compete - Competition
9. Direct - Direction
10. Enter - Entrance
11. Improve - Improvement

Can a word be both a Noun and a Verb

Have you ever encountered any words that can be used as both a noun and a verb? Believe it or not, it's true. Yes, a word can behave like a noun and verb without any change in spelling. In fact, there are many words that can be used to name a person, place, or thing and also describe an action. Some of them are described below:

1. Park as a Noun: I was playing in the park.

Park as a Verb: Raman can you park my car in the garage?

2. Love as a Noun: Nothing is as strong as love.

Love as a Verb: I am in love with that girl.

3. Help as a Noun: I think you need some help. 

Help as a Verb: Will you please help me with this project?

4. Aim as a Noun: He does not have any aim in his life.

Aim as a Verb: Always aim high to achieve your goal.

5. Work as a Noun: I have a lot of work to do tomorrow.

Work as a Verb: You must work hard for a good living.

Examples of Abstract nouns in sentences

Here we have provided some examples of abstract nouns used in sentences. You can take it as an exercise for yourself and find out the abstract noun in the given sentences. So, here in the below sentences, you definitely came across many of the words that seem like abstract nouns. To identify abstract nouns we have to find out whether the noun or word can be felt, touched, or smelled by our senses. If not you can consider that as an abstract noun.

1. You are not telling the truth in court.
2. Rohan is excited about the result.
3. Your ego is the biggest enemy of your success.
4. Honesty is the best policy.
5. Our armed forces always showed great courage on the battleground.
6. No pain no gain.
7. I am in love with that girl.
8. It's my pleasure to invite you for dinner.
9. Our friendship will last forever.
10. Sometimes childhood memories make me happy.
11. Friendship is priceless.
12. Patience is key to success.
13. Brevity is the soul of wit.
14. The ambience of the mall is classic.
15. The freedom to vote is applicable to each and every citizen of India.