abridgment

noun

abridg·​ment ə-ˈbrij-mənt How to pronounce abridgment (audio)
variants or abridgement
Synonyms of abridgmentnext
1
: the action of abridging something : the state of being abridged
abridgment of rights
a book shortened by careful abridgment
2
: a shortened form of a work retaining the general sense and unity of the original
reading an abridgment of the original book

Synonyms

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Examples of abridgment in a Sentence

this Italian-English pocket dictionary is an abridgment of the hardback edition
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Nationalism has been a liberating force, but it has also been exploited to justify the abridgment of rights. — Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 Thanks to CDs, and especially streaming, abridgments are now comparatively rare. — Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abbreggement, borrowed from Anglo-French abregement, from abreger "to abridge" + -ment -ment

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of abridgment was in the 15th century

Rhymes for abridgment

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Cite this Entry

“Abridgment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abridgment. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

abridgment

noun
abridg·​ment
variants or abridgement
ə-ˈbrij-mənt How to pronounce abridgment (audio)
1
a
: the action of abridging
b
: the state of being abridged
2
: a shortened form of a written work

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Nglish: Translation of abridgment for Spanish Speakers

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