abbreviation

noun

ab·​bre·​vi·​a·​tion ə-ˌbrē-vē-ˈā-shən 

1

: a shortened form of a written word or phrase used in place of the whole word or phrase

"Amt" is an abbreviation for "amount."

"USA" is an abbreviation of "United States of America."

2

: the act or result of abbreviating something : abridgment

I know you would not be satisfied with an abbreviation of its contents, and you shall have the whole, save, perhaps, a few passages here and there of merely temporary interest to the writer …

—Anne Brontë

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What is an abbreviation?

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a written word or phrase. Abbreviations may be used to save space and time, to avoid repetition of long words and phrases, or simply to conform to conventional usage.

The styling of abbreviations is inconsistent and arbitrary and includes many possible variations. Some abbreviations are formed by omitting all but the first few letters of a word; such abbreviations usually end in a period: Oct. for October, univ. for university, and cont. for continued. Other abbreviations are formed by omitting letters from the middle of the word and usually also end in a period: govt. for government, Dr. for Doctor, and atty. for attorney. Abbreviations for the names of states in the U.S. are two capitalized letters, e.g., AR for Arkansas, ME for Maine, and TX for Texas.

Acronyms are abbreviations formed from the initial letters of an expanded phrase and usually do not include periods: PR for public relations, CEO for chief executive officer, and BTW for by the way. Some acronyms are pronounced as words: FEMA for Federal Emergency Management Agency and NATO for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Although some people assert that all acronyms not pronounced as words, such as EPA for Environmental Protection Agency, be referred to as initialisms, the term acronym is in fact applied to both.

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What's the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym?

Some people are unsure of whether to call ASAP or appt abbreviations or acronyms. Both abbreviation and acronym are used to refer to a shortened form, but an acronym is a shortened form of a phrase and is usually made up of the initial letters of that phrase. For example, NATO comes from “North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” and ASAP comes from “as soon as possible.” Abbreviations, on the other hand, can be shortened forms of words or phrases, and need not necessarily be made up of the initial letters of either. ASAP and appt (for appointment) are both considered abbreviations, but only ASAP is an acronym. Acronyms are a type of abbreviation.

Synonyms

• abridgment
• abridgement
• bowdlerization
• condensation
• digest

Examples of abbreviation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its notifications, which follow a format established in 1924, are written in ALL CAPS and filled with cryptic abbreviations. —Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2024

Crucially, Tommy also teaches Stephen how to use the account: how to send messages, how to use abbreviations without sounding like a noob, TYVM. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024

While the car’s role has always been the same — fight Ferrari at the sportiest tip of the gran turismo spectrum — Aston’s products planners have spent the last quarter-century volleying back and forth about the car’s moniker, alternating between the bolder name and a more generic abbreviation. —Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2024

Her last name is an abbreviation of the words shtuchniy intelekt, Ukrainian for artificial intelligence. —Leslie Katz, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abbreviacioun "contraction, shortening," borrowed from Anglo-French abreviation, borrowed from Late Latin abbreviātiōn-, abbreviātiō, from abbreviāre "to abbreviate" + Latin -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

abbreviation

noun

ab·​bre·​vi·​a·​tion ə-ˌbrē-vē-ˈā-shən 

1

: the act or result of abbreviating : abridgment

2

: a shortened form of a written word or phrase used in place of the whole