What is Concrete Noun? Concrete Nouns List, Definition and Examples
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Concrete Nouns
When we say concrete nouns, it exactly refers to its own name. Do not think about it that much, it is not that deep. Try to think simple because a concrete noun could be anything. It might be a person, an animal, a tool, or basically a thing. You just need to be able to feel it by touch, see it, smell it, hear it or taste it. Anything that could be applied to that description can be a concrete noun. It does not have to be applied to all senses, so it just basically can be water, too. Because you cannot smell it, but it is still concrete, and water is still a concrete noun.
Take a quick look around, I’m sure you’ll be able to find many examples of concrete nouns. On the other hand, with the same logic if a thing is not concrete, then it is abstract. Likewise, something that is not a concrete noun will be an abstract noun. For example happiness or sadness, think about these words. You can feel it, not via your senses but your mind and emotions.
Understanding the differences between abstract and concrete will help you to understand the topic better. You are able to describe a red apple to someone who cannot see, right? You might say it has a sweet taste, you can address its color, you can say it is a fruit or anything that comes to your mind.
Concrete Noun vs Abstract Noun
However, it will not easy to describe joy or excitement. Generally, we tend to identify our feelings or the things that we cannot feel with our senses by concrete words. Think about it, how many times did you use the phrase “I have butterflies on my stomach.”? Because it is not an absolute thing that you try to explain, but more personal. The person might not understand the statement, but they still are able to see you smiling when you are talking about your excitement.
By thinking like that you can easily understand whether a thing is concrete or abstract. Likewise, you can decide If they are concrete nouns.
Let’s take a look at these concrete nouns examples to clarify what we have talked about:
Concrete nouns that appeal to our sight:
- Cat
- That
- Weather
- A person
- Woman
- Male
- Handbag
- Clothes
Concrete names that appeal to what we hear:
- Music
- Noise
- Sound
- Laugh
- Song
- Rain sound
- Keyboard sound
Concrete names that appeal to our taste buds:
- Medicine
- Juice
- Spice
- Cookie
- Cake
- Rice
- Cornflakes
- Chickpeas
- Tongue
- Salt
Concrete nouns that appeal to our scents:
- Aroma
- Flowers
- Tomato paste
- Perfume
- Sunscreen
- Hair spray
- Earthy smell
- Shampoo
Concrete names that we can feel by touching:
- Suitcase
- Chair
- Table
- Satin fabric
- Money
- Kitties
- Skin
- Candle
- Closet
- Shoes
All the examples we have listed above are both perceptible by our senses and tangible. We call these concrete expressions concrete nouns. The difference between the concrete and the abstract is like the difference between concrete nouns and abstract nouns.
