Absent — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb preposition /ˈab-sənt/ (adjective) /ab-ˈsent/ (verb) ab·sent

Meaning & Definition of Absent

Absent (adjective)

  1. not present at a usual or expected place, missing
  2. not existing, lacking
  3. showing a lack of attention to what is happening or being said, not attentive

Absent (verb)

  1. to keep (oneself) away

Absent (preposition)

  1. in the absence of (something), without

Absent (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not at a certain place

    "three students were absent because of the flu"

    similar: away, missing, out
    related: AWOL, truant, departed, gone, retired, abroad, vacationing
    opposite: here, in, present
    near: accompanying, attending, participating

  2. not present or in evidence

    "the city's usual stir of activity was conspicuously absent due to the report of an escaped lion from the zoo"

    similar: lacking, missing, nonexistent, wanting
    related: dead, departed, extinct, lost, perished, vanished, defunct, done, expired, finished, lapsed, obsolete, over, passé, inadequate, insufficient, rare, scarce, sparse, uncommon
    opposite: existent, present
    near: active, alive, animate, living, thriving, current, going, prevailing, uncanceled, common, prevalent, apparent, conspicuous, evident, obvious, plain

  3. lost in thought and unaware of one's surroundings or actions

    "seemed absent when I told him you were coming because he nodded but didn't say anything"

    similar: absentminded, abstracted, distracted, preoccupied
    related: absorbed, daydreaming, dreaming, dreamy, engrossed, faraway, intent, pensive, rapt, heedless, inattentive, insensible, oblivious, unaware, unconscious, unheeding, unknowing, unmindful, unperceptive, unthinking, unwary, unwitting, vacant, befogged, befuddled, bemused, bewildered, birdbrained, clueless, confused, dazed, flighty, foggy, forgetful, forgetting, hazy, muddled, scatterbrained, unfocused
    opposite: alert
    near: alive, attentive, aware, conscious, engaged, heads-up, heedful, mindful, observant, observing, open-eyed, sharp, vigilant, wary, watchful, wide-awake, clearheaded

Absent (preposition) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not having

    "absent a significant source of investment funds, the fledgling company continues to struggle"

    similar: minus, sans, wanting, without

Related Entry: Absent oneself (phrase)

Absent oneself is a different word from Absent. The synonyms below are for absent oneself, not for absent.

  1. to fail to attend

    "She found a plausible excuse to absent herself from the gathering."

    similar: blow off, cut, miss, skip, play hooky
    related: ignore, neglect, pass over
    opposite: attend, show up (for)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Absent

The most common words with a similar meaning to Absent:

away, missing, out, lacking, nonexistent, wanting, absentminded, abstracted, distracted, preoccupied, minus, sans, without

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Absent

Words with the opposite meaning of Absent:

here, in, present, existent, alert

Related Words for Absent

AWOL, truant, departed, gone, retired, abroad, vacationing, dead, extinct, lost, perished, vanished, defunct, done, expired, finished, lapsed, obsolete, over, passé, inadequate, insufficient, rare, scarce, sparse, uncommon, absorbed, daydreaming, dreaming, dreamy

Near Antonyms of Absent

accompanying, attending, participating, active, alive, animate, living, thriving, current, going, prevailing, uncanceled, common, prevalent, apparent, conspicuous, evident, obvious, plain, attentive, aware, conscious, engaged, heads-up, heedful, mindful, observant, observing, open-eyed, sharp

Word Forms of Absent

Inflections: absented, absenting, absents

Derived words: absently (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Absent

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin absent-, absens, present participle of abesse "to be away, be absent," from ab- ab- + -sens, present participle (attested only with prefixes) of esse "to be" is:1

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Absent

Words & Phrases Containing Absent

absent-minded, absent without leave, absent oneself

Frequently Asked Questions about Absent

What does "Absent" mean?

"Absent" means not present at a usual or expected place, missing. As an an adjective, a verb and a preposition, it is defined as: not present at a usual or expected place, missing. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Absent"?

Other words for "Absent" include away, missing, out, lacking, nonexistent, wanting, absentminded and abstracted. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Absent" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Absent"?

There are 78 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Absent". Common alternatives include away, missing, out, lacking, nonexistent, wanting, absentminded, abstracted, distracted and preoccupied.

What is the opposite of "Absent"?

Antonyms of "Absent" include here, in, present, existent and alert. Near antonyms include accompanying, attending, participating and active.

How do you use "Absent" in a sentence?

Examples of "Absent" in a sentence: "three students were absent because of the flu"; "the city's usual stir of activity was conspicuously absent due to the report of an escaped lion from the zoo"; "seemed absent when I told him you were coming because he nodded but didn't say anything".

Is "Absent" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Absent" can be used as an adjective, a verb and a preposition, depending on the context.

Is "Absent" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Absent" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Absent"?

"Absent" is pronounced /ˈab-sənt/ as an adjective and /ab-ˈsent/ as a verb and divided into syllables as ab·sent.