Concrete Noun

Concrete nouns are simply those nouns that can be experienced physically rather than abstractly. As we're usually taught that nouns are people, places, and things, most nouns are concrete nouns. Take a look around you and you'll see many examples of concrete nouns.

If a noun is not concrete then it's an abstract noun. The two often work hand in hand, with concrete nouns supporting abstract nouns. For example, "happiness" is an abstract noun that can't be seen, but the "smile" that expresses the feeling can be seen, so it is concrete.

General Types of Nouns

Before we look at some examples of concrete nouns, let's review some of the different types of nouns.

First, nouns can be divided into common and proper nouns:

Proper nouns are capitalized and refer to a specific, named person, place or thing. For example: Jane, New York, The Bible.

Common nouns are not capitalized and refer to general people places and objects. For example: woman, city, book.

Nouns can also be divided into countable and uncountable nouns:

Countable nouns function with or without a number in front of them. For example: one car, two dogs, a million pieces.

Uncountable nouns are sometimes referred to as mass nouns because they have mass but cannot be counted. For example: luggage, happiness, money.

Collective nouns are used for a group of objects that are a collection or unit. Because there can be more than one unit, they may appear as singular or plural. For example: one family, two families.

Examples of Concrete Nouns

You can tell if something is a concrete noun because you experience it through one of your five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. If you cannot see, hear, taste, touch, or smell the person or thing, it is not a concrete noun.

Concrete nouns are found in all categories of noun described above:

Common nouns

Proper nouns

Countable nouns 

Uncountable nouns

Collective nouns

Singular nouns

Plural nouns

To better understand concrete nouns, take a look at the examples below. We've broken them down by the sense you use to experience each noun:

Sight:

dog (common)

Susan (proper)

suitcases (countable)

air (uncountable)

team (collective)

cat (singular)

women (plural)

Hearing:

whistling (common)

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (proper)

sounds (countable)

music (uncountable)

choir (collective)

noise (singular)

chirps (plural)

Taste:

steak (common)

Reese's Pieces (proper)

peas (countable)

medicine (uncountable)

entree (collective)

bile (singular)

cakes (plural)

Smell:

flower (common)

Heinz Ketchup (proper)

perfume (countable)

seaspray (uncountable)

herd (collective)

horse (singular)

aromas (plural)

Touch:

skin (common)

Merino wool (proper)

pennies (countable)

baggage (uncountable)

troupe (collective)

chair (singular)

puppies (plural)

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns are the opposite of concrete nouns. These are nouns that name things you cannot see, smell, taste, hear or touch. They refer to emotions, ideas, concepts, beliefs, or your state of being. Examples of abstract nouns include:                                                                                      

Love 

bigotry

acceptance

democracy

maturity

anticipation

progress

A Solid Understanding

To decide whether a noun is concrete or abstract, ask yourself if you can see, hear, taste, smell or touch it. If so, it is concrete. If not, it is abstract. Concrete and abstract nouns are both "real," but one is a physical presence and the other is not.

Concrete nouns represent things that can be experienced through the five senses. Abstract nouns refer to ideas and concepts that cannot be sensed on a physical level. Understanding the difference between them will help you describe and explain them appropriately in your writing.