What does "abridgment" mean?

The act of abridging; reduction or deprivation

How do you pronounce "abridgment"?

Pronounced //əˈbɹɪd͡ʒ.mənt//.

Common synonyms include: compendium, condensation, abatement, abbreviation, abridgement, abstract.

//əˈbɹɪd͡ʒ.mənt// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
The act of abridging; reduction or deprivation US, countable, uncountable
"an abridgment of pleasures or of expenses"
2
a shortened version of a written work wordnet
3
The state of being abridged or lessened. US, countable, uncountable
4
An epitome or compend, as of a book; a shortened or abridged form; an abbreviation. US, countable, uncountable
"The article which embodied my researches having proved somewhat too long for its purpose, an abridgment of it only was inserted in the Encyclopædia."
5
That which abridges or cuts short; hence, an entertainment that makes the time pass quickly countable, obsolete, uncountable
"What abridgment have you for this evening? What masque? what music?"

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6
Any of various brief statements of case law made before modern reporting of legal cases. countable, dated, uncountable
7
The leaving out of certain portions of a plaintiff's demand, the writ still holding good for the remainder. countable, uncountable

"an abridgment of pleasures or of expenses"

First attested in 1494. From Middle English abrygement, from Middle French abrégement. Equivalent to abridge + -ment.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.