- the condition of being absent, or away
- the time of being away
- the fact of being without; lack: in the absence of evidence
- inattentiveness
Origin of absence
Middle English from Old French from Classical Latin absentia: see absent
noun
- Absence is defined as a lack of something, or a situation where something or someone that is not present.
An example of an absence of knowledge is a lack of knowledge about geography.
- The definition of absence refers to the period of time that someone or something is away or not present.
An example of an absence is a two week vacation.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"absence." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ABSENCE>.
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absence. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ABSENCE
absence
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"absence." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ABSENCE>.
APA Style
absence. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ABSENCE
absence
noun
- The state of being away.
- The time during which one is away.
- Lack; want: an absence of leadership.
- The state of being absent-minded; inattentiveness: absence of mind.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"absence." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ABSENCE>.
APA Style
absence. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ABSENCE
Noun
(usually uncountable, plural absences)
- A state of being away or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; the period of being away. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
- Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendence; deficiency. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
- He had an absence of enthusiasm.
- Lack; deficiency; nonexistence. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
- Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind). [First attested in the early 18th century.]
- absence of mind
- (medicine) Temporary loss or disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common in epilepsy. [First attested in the mid 20th century.]
- (fencing) Lack of contact between blades.
Antonyms
- The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. Use the template {{sense|"gloss"}}, substituting a short version of the definition for "gloss".
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"absence." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ABSENCE>.
APA Style
absence. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ABSENCE
Sentence Examples
- His absence sucked the energy from the room and she stared down at the dishwater.
- He explained the absence of his fangs.
- You forget, I command them in the absence of my father and his most trusted warriors.
- The wavering is caused by the absence of accent on FUL, for she pronounces FULL correctly.
- Her beautiful eyes no longer sparkled, and he was surprised to find he felt the absence of her warmth and liveliness.
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