absent

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

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

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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.

Nearby words

abscopal effect, abseil, absence, absence makes the heart grow fonder, absence seizure, absent, absent without leave, absent-minded, absente reo, absentee, absentee ballot

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))

SYNONYMS FOR absent

1 out, off.

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ANTONYMS FOR absent

1 present.

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Related forms

ab·sen·ta·tion

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|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
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

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|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Palmer alone was absent from her guests, sitting at the telephone.
The Relentless City|Edward Frederic Benson
But, to do the old sailor justice, his thoughts were not so much of their own situation as of the absent lads.
The Boy Chums in the Gulf of Mexico|Wilmer M. Ely
Cynthia was absent again, and his mother was silent and wore a troubled look.
The Landlord at Lion's Head, Complete|William Dean Howells
What wife, what maid did not yearn for you absent, and burn when you were present?
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
Canovas was at once recognized as the representative of the absent King, and the country was ready to obey his directions.
The War Upon Religion|Rev. Francis A. Cunningham

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

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

adjective

verb (used with object)

preposition

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of absent

SYNONYMS FOR absent

ANTONYMS FOR absent

Related forms

Examples from the Web for absent

British Dictionary definitions for absent

absent

adjective (ˈæbsənt)

verb (æbˈsɛnt)

Derived Forms

Word Origin for absent