absence

[ab-suh ns] /ˈæb səns/
noun
1.
state of being away or not being present:
I acted as supervisor in his absence. Your absence was noted on the records.
2.
period of being away:
an absence of several weeks.
3.
failure to attend or appear when expected.
4.
lack; deficiency:
the absence of proof.
5.
inattentiveness; preoccupation; absent-mindedness:
absence of mind.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin absentia. See absent, -ia
Antonyms
1. presence.
Examples from the web for absence
  • The presence or absence of a true sleep state among these creatures remains to be investigated scientifically.
  • And the absence of broader press coverage points to the usual fate of such stories.
  • The absence of a rating mattered little, as the last thing the city needed to do was to go out and borrow money from strangers.
  • This absence of evidence matters.
  • They've barely noticed my absence.
  • The first indication that something is amiss is the absence of lighting, and then a few broken windows.
  • Reasonable doubt is not the same as the absence of doubt.
  • Olson took a leave of absence right before the start of last season for undisclosed personal and medical reasons.
  • Especially galling to Harlemites has been the absence of a chain bookstore.
  • The presence or absence of computing devices in the home has class implications.
British Dictionary definitions for absence

absence

/ˈæbsəns/
noun
1.
the state of being away
2.
the time during which a person or thing is away
3.
the fact of being without something; lack
Word Origin
C14: via Old French from Latin absentia, from absēns a being away
Word Origin and History for absence
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 in Medicine

absence ab·sence (āb'səns)
n.
See petit mal.

Idioms and Phrases with absence

absence

In addition to the idiom beginning with absence also see: conspicuous by its absence