Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense absents, present participle absenting, past tense, past participle absentedpronunciation note: The adjective and preposition are pronounced (æbsənt). The verb is pronounced (æbsent).
1. adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If someone or something is absentfrom a place or situation where they should be or where they usually are, they are not there.
He has been absent from his desk for two weeks. [+ from]
The pictures, too, were absent from the walls.
Evans was absent without leave from his Hong Kong-based regiment.
Synonyms: away, missing, gone, lacking More Synonyms of absent
2. adjective
If someone appears absent, they are not paying attention because they are thinking about something else.
'Nothing,' Rosie said in an absent way.
Synonyms: absent-minded, blank, unconscious, abstracted More Synonyms of absent
absently (æbsəntli)adverb
He nodded absently.
Synonyms: distractedly, dreamily, absent-mindedly, on automatic pilot More Synonyms of absent
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
An absent parent does not live with his or her children.
...absent fathers who fail to pay towards the costs of looking after their children.
4. verb
If someone absentsthemselves from a place where they should be or where they usually are, they do not go there or they do not stay there.
[formal]
She was old enough to absent herself from the lunch table if she chose. [V pron-refl from n]
He pleaded guilty before a court martial to absenting himself without leave. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
5. preposition
If you say that absent one thing, another thing will happen, you mean that if the first thing does not happen, the second thing will happen.
[US, formal]
Absent a solution, people like Sue Godfrey will just keep on fighting.
absent in British English
adjective (ˈæbsənt)
1.
away or not present
2.
lacking; missing
3.
inattentive; absent-minded
verb (æbˈsɛnt)
4. (transitive)
to remove (oneself) or keep away
Derived forms
absenter (abˈsenter)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Latin absent-, stem of absēns, present participle of abesse to be away
absent in American English
(ˈæbsənt; for v., æbˈsɛnt; əbsənt)
adjective
1.
not present; away
2.
not existing; lacking
3.
not attentive; absorbed in thought
verb transitive
4.
to keep (oneself) away
to absent oneself from classes
preposition US
5.
in the absence of; lacking
absent her testimony, our case is weak
Word origin
ME < OFr < L absens, prp. of abesse < ab-, away + esse, to be: see is1
Examples of 'absent' in a sentence
absent
She had also been absent from the vote herself.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We must stop clinging to the medieval belief that'life' is a spark that is either present or absent.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They were absent from school more than they were present.
Christianity Today (2000)
The twisty trees strike a note of sculptural busyness that is mainly absent from the works beyond.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He was absent from the court yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Serious bouts of air pollution have been largely absent this summer.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Why are some people absent so frequently?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Their fathers were absent or set in unyielding opposition to independent sons.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
They were found collectively guilty by a military tribunal for going absent without leave.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It is absent also from most of the surviving memorials of translators.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He injured his back and has been absent from work for four months on full salary.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He was absent from court when jurors heard the tape.
The Sun (2009)
We are the sort of people who encourage absent fatherhood.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He thinks that fathers who absent themselves from domestic life are missing out.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Be absent without leave from any appointed place or duty.
The Sun (2015)
Why are the ideals that matter most to human beings the ones most noticeably absent in managerial discourse?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Why are the people in one department three times as likely to go absent as those in another?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The build-up has been a tale of two absent captains.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There was one mammal absent from the study: humans.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Also absent will be giant aluminium pots of tea, scones and the communal cucumber sandwiches.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Quotations
Greater things are believed of those who are absentTacitusHistories
In other languages
absent
British English: absent /ˈæbsənt/ ADJECTIVE
If someone or something is absent from a place or situation, they are not there.
He was absent from work for 35 days.
American English: absent
Arabic: غائِب
Brazilian Portuguese: ausente
Chinese: 缺席
Croatian: odsutan
Czech: nepřítomný
Danish: fraværende
Dutch: afwezig
European Spanish: ausente
Finnish: poissa oleva
French: absent
German: abwesend
Greek: απών
Italian: assente
Japanese: 不在の
Korean: 부재의
Norwegian: fraværende
Polish: nieobecny
European Portuguese: ausente
Romanian: absent
Russian: отсутствующий
Latin American Spanish: ausente
Swedish: frånvarande
Thai: ขาด
Turkish: yok
Ukrainian: відсутній
Vietnamese: vắng mặt
Chinese translation of 'absent'
absent
(adjˈæbsənt; vbæbˈsɛnt)
adj
(from work, school) 缺席的 (quēxí de)
(at home)[parent]不同住的 (bù tóngzhù de)
(= inattentive) 心不在焉的 (xīn bù zài yān de)
vt
(frm)
to absent o.s. from sth未出席某事 (wèi chūxí mǒushì)
to be absent不在 (bùzài)
to be absent from sth不存在于(於)某事 (bù cúnzài yú mǒushì)
absent without leave (Mil) 擅离(離)职(職)守 (shàn lí zhíshǒu)
All related terms of 'absent'
absent-minded
心不在焉的 xīn bù zài yān de
to be absent
不在 bùzài
absent without leave
( Mil ) 擅离(離)职(職)守 shàn lí zhíshǒu
to absent o.s. from sth
未出席某事 wèi chūxí mǒushì
to be absent from sth
不存在于(於)某事 bù cúnzài yú mǒushì
1 (adjective)
Definition
not present in a place or situation
He has been absent from his desk for two weeks.
Synonyms
away
She was away on a business trip.
missing
One name was missing from the list.
gone
He's already been gone four hours!
lacking
elsewhere
unavailable
not present
truant
Truant students miss out on a lot of the curriculum.
nonexistent
nonattendant
Opposites
present,
attendant
,
in attendance
2 (adjective)
Definition
not paying attention
`Nothing,' she said in an absent way.
Synonyms
absent-minded
The laptop was exactly where its absent-minded owner had left it.
blank
He gave him a blank look.
unconscious
Mr Battersby was apparently quite unconscious of their presence.
abstracted
The same abstracted look was still on her face.
vague
He was an intelligent but rather vague Englishman.
distracted
unaware
She was unaware that she was being filmed.
musing
vacant
a dreamy, vacant look
preoccupied
He was too preoccupied to notice what was going on.
empty
She saw the empty look in his eyes as he left.
absorbed
careless
Office workers are notoriously careless about their passwords.
bemused
oblivious
She appeared oblivious to her surroundings.
negligent
The jury ruled that the Council had acted in a negligent manner.
dreamy
His face assumed a dreamy expression.
daydreaming
faraway
She smiled with a faraway look in her eyes.
thoughtless
It was thoughtless of her to mention it.
inadvertent
The government has said it was an inadvertent error.
unthinking
Bruce was no unthinking vandal.
neglectful
Children who are neglected tend to become neglectful parents.
heedless
She scattered the letters about in her heedless haste.
inattentive
These children were more likely to be inattentive at school.
unmindful
unobservant
unheeding
Opposites
aware
,
conscious
,
alert
,
thoughtful
,
attentive
phrasal verb
See absent yourself
Quotation
Greater things are believed of those who are absent [Tacitus – Histories]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abstracted
Definition
lost in thought
The same abstracted look was still on her face.
Synonyms
preoccupied,
withdrawn,
remote,
absorbed,
intent,
absent,
distracted,
unaware,
wrapped up,
bemused,
immersed,
oblivious,
dreamy,
daydreaming,
faraway,
engrossed,
rapt,
absent-minded,
heedless,
inattentive,
distrait,
woolgathering
in the sense of blank
Definition
showing no interest or expression
He gave him a blank look.
Synonyms
expressionless,
empty,
dull,
vague,
hollow,
vacant,
lifeless,
deadpan,
straight-faced,
vacuous,
impassive,
inscrutable,
inane,
wooden,
poker-faced (informal)
in the sense of careless
Definition
done or acting with insufficient attention
Office workers are notoriously careless about their passwords.