在数学中，抽象废话，泛化抽象废话和泛化废话是一些数学家用于描述范畴论中的某些概念和方法的幽默用语。粗略地讲，范畴论是研究数学理论的泛化形式，而不考虑其内容的学科。因此，一个基于范畴论的证明在那些并不习惯这样的抽象的人看来就会有些不知所云，甚至看起来像是滑稽的不合逻辑推论。有时，这样的证明就会被称作“抽象废话”以轻巧地提醒人们它们的抽象特性。

一般而言，“抽象废话”可以泛指任何使用基本范畴论方法的证明（无论幽默与否），或是指对范畴论本身的研究。要注意的是将一个论证成为“抽象废话”并不是一种贬损的表达，而往往是对论证的繁复性的一种赞赏。

In mathematics, abstract nonsense, general abstract nonsense, and general nonsense are terms used facetiously by some mathematicians to describe certain kinds of arguments and methods related to category theory. (Very) roughly speaking, category theory is the study of the general form of mathematical theories, without regard to their content. As a result, a proof that relies on category theoretic ideas often seems slightly out of context to those who are not used to such abstraction, sometimes to the extent that it resembles a comical non sequitur. Such proofs are sometimes dubbed “abstract nonsense” as a light-hearted way of alerting people to their abstract nature.