Absence
state of being away or not being present:
I acted as supervisor in his absence. Your absence was noted on the records.
period of being away:
an absence of several weeks.
failure to attend or appear when expected.
lack; deficiency:
the absence of proof.
inattentiveness; preoccupation; absent-mindedness:
absence of mind.
Contemporary Examples
In the absence of gun control, says Michael Daly, we should at least heed the warning signs.
Aaron Alexis Was Hearing Voices a Month Before His Rampage Michael Daly September 17, 2013
Despite the absence of a modern publicity machine, Freedom Summer had become a global event.
The 1964 Miss. Freedom Summer Protests Won Progress At a Bloody Price Nicolaus Mills June 20, 2014
In the absence of UNSC action, what are we doing on the NATO front?
Syria, Iraq, and Proof Michael Tomasky August 28, 2013
Follow-up colonoscopies three years hence determined the presence or absence of polyps.
Can Taking Aspirin Once a Day Reduce Risk of Cancer, Stroke, and More? Anneli Rufus March 21, 2012
The absence of command and control means there is only haphazard combat coordination on the ground.
Time Is Running Out for Obama on Syria Jamie Dettmer October 29, 2014
Historical Examples
Did any one have access to your offices during your absence from the city?
The Lost Despatch Natalie Sumner Lincoln
Milza was the first to observe that her absence was unusually protracted.
Philothea Lydia Maria Child
By a simple sic jubeo it posits a disorder which is an “absence of order.”
Creative Evolution Henri Bergson
Decidedly, Dick had been a godsend, and his absence would be a calamity.
Viviette William J. Locke
You seem to be angry on account of my absence yesterday evening?
Arachne, Complete Georg Ebers
noun
the state of being away
the time during which a person or thing is away
the fact of being without something; lack
n.
late 14c., from Old French absence (14c.), from Latin absentia, noun of state from absentem (nominative absens), present participle of abesse “be away from, be absent,” from ab- “away” (see ab-) + esse “to be” (see essence).
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
[Thomas Haynes Bayly (1797-1839) “Isle of Beauty”]
absence ab·sence (āb’səns)
n.
See petit mal.
In addition to the idiom beginning with absence also see: conspicuous by its absence
Read Also:
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder
absence makes the heart grow fonder Persons, places, or things become dearer to us when they are absent. Separation intensifies love, as in After a year in another country she accepted his proposal, so I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder , or, used ironically, The boss leaves earlier every day; oh well, absence […]
- Absence seizure
petit mal. absence seizure n. A brief, sudden loss of consciousness symptomatic of petit mal epilepsy.
- Absences
state of being away or not being present: I acted as supervisor in his absence. Your absence was noted on the records. period of being away: an absence of several weeks. failure to attend or appear when expected. lack; deficiency: the absence of proof. inattentiveness; preoccupation; absent-mindedness: absence of mind. Contemporary Examples He avoids confrontation […]
- Absent
not in a certain place at a given time; away, missing (opposed to ): absent from class. lacking; nonexistent: Revenge is absent from his mind. not attentive; preoccupied; absent-minded: an absent look on his face. to take or keep (oneself) away: to absent oneself from a meeting. in the of; without: Absent some catastrophe, stock-market […]
- Absent-minded
so lost in thought that one does not realize what one is doing, what is happening, etc.; preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s immediate surroundings. Contemporary Examples The boy genius Geithner turned into an absent-minded professor when he filled in his tax returns. Obama’s Strange Obsession Tina Brown February 8, 2009 A […]