ab-ex

noun

ˈab-ˈeks How to pronounce ab-ex (audio)
variants or Ab Ex
informal
: abstract expressionism
If Abstract Expressionism was a response to a world out of balance, Minimalism was a response to Ab Ex, replacing self-expression with intellectual analysis …—Mary Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5 Aug. 2009
ab-ex adjective
or Ab-Ex
informal
By the end of the 1940s Ab-Ex painters were turning out oversized canvases with the energy, zeal and heroism to be found only in post-World War II America. —Robert Goff, Forbes, 4 May 1998

Word History

Etymology

by shortening

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ab-ex was in 1973

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Dictionary Entries Near ab-ex

abeunt studia in mores

ab-ex

ab extra

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Cite this Entry

“Ab-ex.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ab-ex. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

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