absence

absence — noun

1. a time when someone is away from school, work, or another place where they shoul

1.nounB2
Definition

a time when someone is away from school, work, or another place where they should be, or the fact that they are away.

Example

Gita explained her absence from class by showing the doctor's note.

absence from + [place]

During the manager's absence, Omar handled all customer complaints at the front desk.

during someone's absence

Common collocations
  • long absence
  • prolonged absence
  • unexplained absence
  • leave of absence
  • frequent absences
Synonyms
  • non-attendance

    more formal; specifically about not showing up at an event

  • leave

    permitted time away from work, often paid

  • truancy

    unauthorised absence from school by a student

Antonyms
  • presence

    the state of being in a place

  • attendance

    the act of showing up at school, work, or an event

Grammar Patterns

absence from [place/event]

in someone's absence

Usage Note

Frequently appears in fixed phrases like 'in the absence of' and 'during someone's absence'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense always implies a person (or sometimes a thing) is away from a specific place, while sense 2 means the thing simply does not exist.

Common Mistakes

My absence on the meeting was noticed.
My absence from the meeting was noticed.
use 'from', not 'on' or 'in', after 'absence'.

2. the situation in which something you would expect or want is completely missing

2.nounB2
Definition

the situation in which something you would expect or want is completely missing from a place, group, or piece of writing.

Example

The total absence of street lights made the village feel dangerous at night.

absence of + [thing]

Doctors were puzzled by the absence of any pain in the patient's broken wrist.

absence of + abstract noun (pain, fear)

Common collocations
  • absence of evidence
  • absence of light
  • complete absence
  • notable absence
  • conspicuous absence
Synonyms
  • lack

    more everyday; emphasises that something is insufficient rather than fully missing

  • shortage

    specifically about supply being too low to meet demand

  • void

    literary; suggests a large empty space where something should be

Antonyms
  • presence

    the fact of something existing or being in a place

  • abundance

    a very large quantity of something

Grammar Patterns

absence of [thing]

in the absence of [thing]

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable in this sense and followed by 'of'. Distinguish from sense 1: here nothing is 'away' — the thing simply is not there to begin with (e.g. an absence of windows in a basement, not someone away from a place).

Common Mistakes

There was an absence cars on the empty road.
There was an absence of cars on the empty road.
always use 'of' to link 'absence' to the missing thing.
Idioms

absence makes the heart grow fonder

idiom

This phrase means that being away from someone you love makes you love them even more.

Mia missed her boyfriend during his trip, but absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Do you believe that absence makes the heart grow fonder, or does it weaken love?

conspicuous by your absence

idiom

This phrase describes someone who is noticeably missing from a place or event where they should be present.

At the family reunion, Uncle Tom was conspicuous by his absence.

Why was the team captain conspicuous by his absence at the award ceremony?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words point to something missing, but they differ in scale and tone. 'Absence' is the most neutral and formal: it states that something simply is not there, often in writing or analysis ('the absence of evidence'). 'Lack' is the everyday choice and usually means there is not enough of something, rather than none at all ('a lack of sleep', 'a lack of confidence'). 'Shortage' is narrower and almost always concrete — it describes supply failing to meet demand, especially of resources or staff ('a water shortage', 'a nurse shortage'). 'Void' is literary or emotional; it pictures a large empty hole where something important used to be ('her death left a void in his life'). So a teacher might note 'an absence of curiosity' in a report, but say 'a lack of curiosity' when chatting with parents.

absence ↗lack ↗shortage ↗void ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • leave of absence
  • absence rate
  • absence record

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in the absence of
  • during someone's absence
  • after a long absence
  • leave of absence

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Absence' came into English in the late 14th century from Old French 'absence', which itself was borrowed from the Latin noun 'absentia', meaning a being-away. The Latin form was built from 'absent-', the stem of 'absens' (the present participle of 'abesse', 'to be away'), where 'ab-' means 'away from' and 'esse' means 'to be'. From the start the word covered both physical being-away from a place and the wider idea of something not existing or not being available.