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absence

noun

Simple meaning

Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

absuhns

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈæbsəns

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The state of being absent

    “He was surprised by the absence of any explanation.”

  2. Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendance; deficiency.

  3. The period of someone being away.

  4. Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind).

  5. Lack; deficiency; non-existence.

  6. A state of being away or withdrawn from a place or from companionship

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

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More ways to use absence

  • “He was surprised by the absence of any explanation.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Temporary / occurrence

temporary absence

Time

long absence

Other combinations

complete absencetotal absenceentire absencerelative absence

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • absence seizurenounCompound term

    The occurrence of an abrupt, transient loss or impairment of consciousness (which is not subsequently remembered), sometimes with light twitching, fluttering eyelids, etc.

  • absence without leavenounCompound term

    Unauthorized military absence.

  • complex absencenounCompound term

    An absence seizure accompanied by other abnormalities (atonia or automatisms or vasomotor changes).

  • leave of absencenounCompound term

    The period of time during which you are absent from work or duty.

  • pure absencenounCompound term

    An absence seizure without other complications.

  • simple absencenounCompound term

    An absence seizure without other complications.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.