absent
Americanadjective
verb (used with object)
preposition
adjective
-
away or not present
-
lacking; missing
-
inattentive; absent-minded
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have absentedperfect
-
has absentedperfect 3rd person singular
-
are absentingprogressive
-
is absentingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
absentssingular 3rd person
-
absentingparticiple
-
has been absentingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
am absentingprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been absentingperfect progressive
Past
-
had absentedperfect
-
had been absentingperfect progressive
-
were absentingprogressive plural
-
was absentingprogressive singular
-
absentedsimple
-
absentedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of absent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin absent-, stem of absēns “being away,” present participle of abesse “to be away,” from ab- ab- + esse “to be”
Explanation
Absent means not there. If you absent yourself from class, you're marked as absent. If you have an absent parent, it means they don't live with you or take part in your care. Absent can also describe a state of mind, meaning "not all there" or "lost in thought." If you are absent from class on a test day, you will have to explain your absence, unless your teacher is so absent minded she forgets and just gives you an A.
Vocabulary lists containing absent
Education and Academics, List 2
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Module 3: Assessed Vocabulary Guide
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Lacking
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The researchers also observed that sleep apnea-like conditions had a smaller impact on both the gut microbiome and the metabolome when FXR was absent.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Again and again, the poems search for a “you,” often absent or dead, divine or unknowable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Chaewon – who is absent from our interview as she recovers from a neck injury – has attributed the song's angst to communication problems, rather than personal animosity.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
Overall, the announcements are “unlikely to drive demand absent a surprise,” Vogt wrote.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Astrology, which has flourished from the days of ancient Babylon down to today, is completely absent from classical Greece.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
