absent
- 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.
- to take or keep (oneself) away: to absent oneself from a meeting.
- in the absence of; without: Absent some catastrophe, stock-market prices should soon improve.
Origin of absent
Synonyms for absent
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms for absent
Related Words for absent
away, removed, vanished, missing, unavailable, lacking, vacant, nonexistent, devoid, empty, ghost, gone, blank, wanting, hollow, bare, omitted, astray, elsewhere, hookyExamples 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.
But, they added, that body scanners are absent at local airports, which they called “this large loophole.”
The absent turkey had been blown clean away in the hurricane force winds, I concluded.
Kate has been absent from public view since the announcment was made on September 8.
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 MagazineAlex 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 AustraliaJohn Forrest
When absent for a week, I knew to a few minutes when we should meet again.
Explorations in AustraliaJohn Forrest
If she mourned for her son, who had been absent for two years, how would his mother mourn?
Life in LondonEdwin Hodder
It had been determined in family council that Mr. Roberts must absent himself.
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
They had heard the firing of the night and were disappointed at having been absent.
The Story of the Malakand Field ForceSir Winston S. Churchill
absent
- away or not present
- lacking; missing
- inattentive; absent-minded
- (tr) to remove (oneself) or keep away
Word Origin for absent
Word Origin and History for absent
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.
"in the absence of," 1944, principally from U.S. legal use, from absent (v.).