absent

noun

(with definite article) Something absent, especially absent people collectively; those who were or are not there.

(obsolete, Scotland) An absentee; a person who is not there.

verb

(reflexive) To keep (oneself) away.

(transitive, archaic) To keep (someone) away.

(intransitive, obsolete) Stay away; withdraw.

(transitive, rare) Leave.

(transitive, rare) To omit.

adjective

(not comparable) Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; existing but not present; (sometimes) missing.

(not comparable) Not existing.

(comparable) Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied.

Roots

abab- · Latin · away from esse-sen · Latin · be

Synonyms for absent

missingadj absentmindedadj lackingadj vanishedadj abstractedadj goneadj disappearedv wantingadj omittedv nonexistentadj departedn

Synonyms & related words for absent

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of absent — including missing, absentminded, lacking, vanished, abstracted, gone. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to absent

Explore words related to absent — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include absence, absentee, nonattendance, nonappearance, absenteeism, nonoccurrence, desiderate, unexcused. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for absent

Common synonyms for absent include missing, absentminded, lacking, vanished, abstracted, gone, disappeared, wanting — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does absent come from?

The word absent breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: ab-, from Latin ab (“away from”); and -sen, from Latin esse (“be”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.