absent

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

/ adjective, preposition ˈæb sənt; verb æbˈsɛnt, ˈæb sənt /

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See synonyms for: absent / absented / absenting / absents 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR absent

1 out, off.

See synonyms for absent on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR absent

1 present.

See antonyms for absent on Thesaurus.com

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have

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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))

OTHER WORDS FROM absent

ab·sen·ta·tion

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

Words nearby absent

abscopal effect, abseil, absence, Absence makes the heart grow fonder, absence seizure, absent, absentee, absentee ballot, absenteeism, absentee landlord, absentee vote

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use absent in a sentence

While the giant has made efforts recently to elevate quality reporting in its algorithms, most of those ranking decisions are made absent of human judgement.
Google is paying publishers more than $1 billion to create and curate high-quality content|Sara Fischer|October 1, 2020|Axios
His social studies teacher was absent, which hadn’t been announced until the night before, and he hadn’t received the Zoom link for the substitute.
The Students Left Behind by Remote Learning|by Alec MacGillis|September 28, 2020|ProPublica
Noticeably absent are the US, China, and Russia—all home to companies with Covid-19 vaccines in development.
The nations opting out of a plan to ensure global access to Covid-19 vaccines|Katherine Ellen Foley|September 22, 2020|Quartz
Google, when looking at sites it knew it could trust around YMYL topics, determined that they were absent of marketing language on informational pages.
Did Google just hint at an authority profile?|Mordy Oberstein|September 21, 2020|Search Engine Land

Cultural influence shapes the gendered behavior of every human on this planet, meaning we cannot measure innate sex differences absent cultural factors.
No, Animals Do Not Have Genders - Facts So Romantic|Cailin O'Connor|August 26, 2020|Nautilus
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Noticeably absent are the multiple award nominations and high praise from critics.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
In pneumonia chlorids are constantly very low, and in some cases are absent entirely.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The infectious diseases in which leukocytosis is absent (p. 160) often cause a slight decrease of leukocytes.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Murat was absent, and there was no evil influence to cloud his friendship with his great chief.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Pepsin is rarely or never absent in the presence of free hydrochloric acid.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Since the two enzyms are almost invariably present or absent together, the test for rennin serves also as a test for pepsin.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

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 forms of absent

absenter, 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

absent

OTHER WORDS FOR absent

OPPOSITES FOR absent

Origin of absent

OTHER WORDS FROM absent

Words nearby absent

Words related to absent

How to use absent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for absent

Derived forms of absent

Word Origin for absent