concept - an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instancesidea, thought - the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about; "it was not a good idea"; "the thought never entered my mind" notion - a general inclusive concept category - a general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme rule, regulation - a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior; "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation" attribute, dimension, property - a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished; "self-confidence is not an endearing property" abstract, abstraction - a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance; "he loved her only in the abstract--not in person" quantity - something that has a magnitude and can be represented in mathematical expressions by a constant or a variable division, part, section - one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole; "the written part of the exam"; "the finance section of the company"; "the BBC's engineering division" whole - all of something including all its component elements or parts; "Europe considered as a whole"; "the whole of American literature" natural law, law - a rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society law of nature, law - a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature; "the laws of thermodynamics" hypothesis, theory, possibility - a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted in chemical practices" fact - a concept whose truth can be proved; "scientific hypotheses are not facts" |