truant
Americannoun
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a student who stays away from school without permission.
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a person who shirks or neglects a duty.
- Synonyms:
- malingerer, loafer, layabout, shirker, idler
adjective
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absent from school without permission.
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neglectful of duty or responsibility; idle.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of a person who neglects a duty, responsibility, or required attendance.
verb (used without object)
noun
adjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of truant
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English from Old French: “vagrant, beggar” from Celtic; compare Welsh truan “wretched, wretch”
Explanation
A truant is a student who is out of school without permission. If you skip school to go shopping with your friends, you are a truant. A person can be a truant, and behavior can be described as truant too, since it's both a noun and an adjective. Your teacher might call you a truant if you skip school and if you didn't show up at your donut shop job, you would also be a truant donut slinger. In fact, anyone who's unexpectedly absent can be described as truant. The Old French truant describes a beggar, especially one who lives this way by choice.
Vocabulary lists containing truant
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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Nobody's Home: Synonyms For "Absent"
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Rebound
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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.
In June 1530 Hans Holbein the Younger was rounded up for being a truant from the Reformed Church and its newfangled Eucharist.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
And man, that idea, that image of 22 public integrity lawyers locked in a room like truant children until they knuckle under, and somebody is going to file it.
From Slate • Feb. 14, 2025
Parents who allow their children to be chronically truant are hurting them and hurting us.
From Salon • Sep. 9, 2024
Last winter, Kvistad doubled down, contacting educators in 19 King County districts and charter schools to improve communication about truant kids.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 5, 2024
“Maiwee! Did you have to call him a truant officer?” said Eye.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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.
