Abstract nouns are the opposite of concrete nouns. They are nouns that you cannot touch, taste, hear, see, or smell. Abstract nouns refer to concepts, ideas, qualities, and feelings that are not tangible.

Sometimes it can be difficult to pick an abstract noun out of a sentence. This happens when a word like love appears in a sentence. Sometimes the word operates as a verb instead of a noun. For example:

• I love my mother.

Love is an action in this sentence so it does not function as an abstract noun.

• Love is kind.

In this sentence love is a thing. Hence, it acts as an abstract noun that you cannot touch.

Some words can have more than one grammatical usage. It is important to pay attention to how a particular word functions in a sentence.

Abstract nouns make communication easier. To create abstract nouns the root word usually needs to change. Specific suffixes point to an abstract noun: -ism, -ment, -ity, -ship, -age, -tion, -ness, and -ability.

Also, abstract nouns can be possessive. They can be singular. They can be countable or uncountable.

Feeling examples

• love
• hate
• anger

Attribute examples

• beauty
• brilliance
• bravery
• honesty

Concept examples

• faith
• truth
• justice
• liberty

List of Nouns – Abstract Nouns Image