absent

[adjective, preposition ab-suhnt; verb ab-sent, ab-suhnt]

See more synonyms for absent on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not in a certain place at a given time; away, missing (opposed to present): absent from class.
lacking; nonexistent: Revenge is absent from his mind.
not attentive; preoccupied; absent-minded: an absent look on his face.

verb (used with object)

to take or keep (oneself) away: to absent oneself from a meeting.

preposition

in the absence of; without: Absent some catastrophe, stock-market prices should soon improve.

Origin of absent

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin absent- (stem of absēns, present participle of abesse to be away (ab- ab- + -s- be (see is) + -ent- -ent))

Related formsab·sen·ta·tion

[ab-suhn-tey-shuhn] /ˌæb sənˈteɪ ʃən/, nounab·sent·er, nounab·sent·ness, nounnon·ab·sen·ta·tion, noun

Synonyms for absent

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. out, off.

Antonyms for absent

1. present.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for absent

away, removed, vanished, missing, unavailable, lacking, vacant, nonexistent, devoid, empty, ghost, gone, blank, wanting, hollow, bare, omitted, astray, elsewhere, hooky

Examples from the Web for absent

Contemporary Examples of absent

Absent a body, no one can say with absolute certainty whether Castro is dead, even if all signs point in that direction.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro
Bill Conroy
January 6, 2015
But, they added, that body scanners are absent at local airports, which they called “this large loophole.”
A Gift to the Jihadis: The Unseen Airport Security Threat
Clive Irving
December 27, 2014
The absent turkey had been blown clean away in the hurricane force winds, I concluded.
Confessions of a Turkey Killer
Tom Sykes
November 26, 2014
Kate has been absent from public view since the announcment was made on September 8.
Royal Baby Due In April
Tom Sykes
October 20, 2014
Yet without money, without access, and without readership, that history McMillan seems intent on making will be absent.
It Was All a Dream: Drama, Bullshit, and the Rebirth of The Source Magazine
Alex Suskind
October 14, 2014

Historical Examples of absent

Not expecting to be absent more than a few days, we had neither rations nor rugs.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
When absent for a week, I knew to a few minutes when we should meet again.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
If she mourned for her son, who had been absent for two years, how would his mother mourn?
Life in London
Edwin Hodder
It had been determined in family council that Mr. Roberts must absent himself.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
They had heard the firing of the night and were disappointed at having been absent.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for absent

absent

adjective (ˈæbsənt)

away or not present
lacking; missing
inattentive; absent-minded

verb (æbˈsɛnt)

(tr) to remove (oneself) or keep away

Derived Formsabsenter, noun

Word Origin for absent

C14: from Latin absent-, stem of absēns, present participle of abesse to be away

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for absent

adj.

late 14c., from Middle French absent (Old French ausent), from Latin absentem (nominative absens), present participle of abesse "be away from, be absent" (see absence). Related: Absently; absentness.

"to keep away" (from), c.1400, from Middle French absenter, from Late Latin absentare "cause to be away," from Latin absentem (see absent (adj.)). Related: Absented; absenting.

prep.

"in the absence of," 1944, principally from U.S. legal use, from absent (v.).