absent
Americanadjective
verb (used with object)
preposition
adjective
-
away or not present
-
lacking; missing
-
inattentive; absent-minded
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
If we had, it might have come with a purposefully incomprehensible slogan, absent any sound or fury but definitely signifying nothing.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
“It’s not just intimate contact, it’s not just close contact. There is evidence that it spread without those things happening but it was absent from the official messaging for at least a week.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
"The Fast and the Furious" will be screened in a midnight slot later in the day, bringing some Hollywood razzle-dazzle to Cannes where US studios are notably absent.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
The paper also found there was "limited evidence of transparency around the free entry route" to enter giveaways, while the usual types of player protections were "absent from the websites of most operators".
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Annabelle loves the quiet with Dawn Celeste, how it is absent of anxiety or expectation.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
