Home Dictionary Aabsence

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absence

[C/U] Both

pl: absences

This word carries a heavy sense of void or missing components. When referring to people, it often implies a gap in social or professional presence, sometimes suggesting a failure to appear or a poignant feeling of loss. When referring to things, it describes a vacuum or a deficiency. It is frequently used in technical, legal, or scientific contexts to specify exactly what is missing to prove a point or complete a requirement.

Countable when referring to a specific period of being away, such as a student's absence from school. Uncountable when referring to the general state of something not existing, such as the absence of oxygen in a vacuum.

💬Conversación Casual

🎬Tuesday afternoon in the university library, Fatima is studying while Chloe is procrastinating.

Chloe Smith

do u think prof harris will actually mark my absence as excused if i just fake a migraine?

Fatima

doubt it. you've been slacking off way too much this term.

💡

Chloe is attempting to avoid the consequences of missing class, while Fatima uses the phrasal verb 'slacking off' to describe Chloe's lack of effort and discipline in her studies.

Meanings

Noun

[a person or thing]

The state of being away from a place or person.

"His absence from the meeting was noticed by everyone."

Noun

[a quality or thing]

The non-existence or lack of something.

"The absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence."

Last Updated: May 26, 2026•Report an Error