abridgment
noun
abridg·ment
ə-ˈbrij-mənt 
variants
or abridgement
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
Examples of abridgment in a Sentence
this Italian-English pocket dictionary is an abridgment of the hardback edition
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Soon enough, other companies and products entered the field for better (Recorded Books) or worse (abridgments).
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
One of the common frustrations of watching movies adapted from books is the inevitable abridgment of the source material.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2023
Nation/World As school gets underway and coronavirus cases rise, masks are returning to some American classrooms - and reviving the country’s fraught political debate over whether face coverings are common sense or an abridgment of freedom.
—Hannah Natanson, Fenit Nirappil, Maegan Vazquez, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023
Escalating the conflict over the teaching of race, the American Federation of Teachers’ New Hampshire affiliate filed a lawsuit Monday charging that the state’s new law, restricting certain lessons, is unconstitutionally vague and an abridgment of free speech.
—Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2021
Worcester’s abridgment of Webster appeared in 1829, and then Worcester’s own dictionary in 1830.
—Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 17 Mar. 2022
Project Veritas also sent a letter to Politico stating its views on the news outlet’s abridgment.
—Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2021
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.
Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Thanks to CDs, and especially streaming, abridgments are now comparatively rare.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
Soon enough, other companies and products entered the field for better (Recorded Books) or worse (abridgments).
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
One of the common frustrations of watching movies adapted from books is the inevitable abridgment of the source material.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2023
Nation/World As school gets underway and coronavirus cases rise, masks are returning to some American classrooms - and reviving the country’s fraught political debate over whether face coverings are common sense or an abridgment of freedom.
—Hannah Natanson, Fenit Nirappil, Maegan Vazquez, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023
Escalating the conflict over the teaching of race, the American Federation of Teachers’ New Hampshire affiliate filed a lawsuit Monday charging that the state’s new law, restricting certain lessons, is unconstitutionally vague and an abridgment of free speech.
—Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2021
Worcester’s abridgment of Webster appeared in 1829, and then Worcester’s own dictionary in 1830.
—Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 17 Mar. 2022
Project Veritas also sent a letter to Politico stating its views on the news outlet’s abridgment.
—Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Abridgment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abridgment. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
abridgment
noun
abridg·ment
variants
or abridgement
1
a
: the action of abridging
b
: the state of being abridged
2
: a shortened form of a written work
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share