What does absence mean?

Definitions for absence
ˈæb sənsab·sence

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word absence.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. absencenoun

    the state of being absent

    "he was surprised by the absence of any explanation"

  2. absencenoun

    failure to be present

  3. absencenoun

    the time interval during which something or somebody is away

    "he visited during my absence"

  4. absence, absence seizurenoun

    the occurrence of an abrupt, transient loss or impairment of consciousness (which is not subsequently remembered), sometimes with light twitching, fluttering eyelids, etc.; common in petit mal epilepsy

Wiktionary

  1. absencenoun

    A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship.

  2. absencenoun

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

  3. absencenoun

    Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind)

    absence of mind.

  4. absencenoun

    Temporary lossor disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common in epilepsy.

  5. absencenoun

    Lack of contact between blades.

  6. Etymology: From absent, from absentia, from absens, present active participle of absum, from ab + sum.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Absencenoun

    Sir, ’tis fit
    You have strong party to defend yourself
    By calmness, or by absence: all’s in danger. William Shakespeare, Coriol.

    His friends beheld, and pity’d him in vain,
    For what advice can ease a lover’s pain?
    Absence, the best expedient they could find,
    Might save the fortune, if not cure the mind. John Dryden, Fab.

    Absence is of a fourfold kind or species. The first is a necessary absence, as in banished persons; this is entirely necessary. A second, necessary and voluntary; as, upon the account of the commonwealth, or in the service of the church. The third kind the civilians call a probable absence; as, that of students on the score of study. And the fourth, an absence entirely voluntary; as, on the account of trade, merchandise, and the like. Some add a fifth kind of absence, which is committed cum dolo & culpâ, by a man’s non-appearance on a citation; as, in a contumacious person, who, in hatred to his contumacy, is, by the law, in some respects, reputed as a person present. John Ayliffe, Parergon Juris Canonici.

    You have given no dissertation upon the absence of lovers, nor laid down any methods how they should support themselves under those separations. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 241.

    I continued my walk, reflecting on the little absences and distractions of mankind. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 77.

    His absence from his mother oft he’ll mourn,
    And, with his eyes, look wishes to return. John Dryden, Juv. Sat. ii.

ChatGPT

  1. absence

    Absence is the state of not being present in a particular place or situation. It can refer to someone not being physically in a specific location, or a certain element or quality missing from a situation or context. It typically relates to the lack of something or someone that is expected or required to be there.

  2. absence

    Absence is the state of being away from a place or person, or the nonexistence or lack of something. It can refer to both the physical absence of an individual or an object, as well as more abstract concepts like the absence of evidence, emotion or truth.

  3. absence

    Absence is the state of something or someone not being present or not available at a certain place or time. It can also indicate the lack or nonexistence of a particular quality or attribute.

  4. absence

    Absence refers to the state of not being present at a particular place or situation, either physically, mentally or both. It can also refer to a lack of something, or the fact that something does not exist or is missing.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Absencenoun

    a state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; -- opposed to presence

  2. Absencenoun

    want; destitution; withdrawal

  3. Absencenoun

    inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind); as, absence of mind

  4. Etymology: [F., fr. L. absentia. See Absent.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. absence

    A permission occasionally obtained, on urgent affairs, by officers to quit their duties.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'absence' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1745

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'absence' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4745

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'absence' in Nouns Frequency: #779

How to pronounce absence?

How to say absence in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of absence in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of absence in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of absence in a Sentence

  1. Ramana Pemmaraju:

    Ah! What have you done to yourself my love, asked he. Don't dare to ask! For its your absence that resulted in such despair, said she. Is there any way, I can end this pain and anguish, asked he. Yes, my dear! Seal my lips with no delay, whispered she with quivering voice. So as you please, my love, followed he.”

  2. Victor Hugo:

    Separated lovers cheat absence by a thousand fancies which have their own reality. They are prevented from seeing one another and they cannot write nevertheless they find countless mysterious ways of corresponding, by sending each other the song of birds, the scent of flowers, the laughter of children, the light of the sun, the sighing of the wind, and the gleam of the stars-all the beauties of creation.

  3. Cicero:

    What we call pleasure, and rightly so is the absence of all pain.

  4. John Carey:

    There's a little nervousness about earnings reports that we'll be seeing over the next couple or three weeks, the international situation continues to weigh on people's minds, and commodities were weaker earlier. In the absence of any strong new economic data or blow-away-type earnings results, people are still cautious, waiting for the Fed to decide on whether it's going to raise rates or not.

  5. John Hayes:

    Our message is,' If you have sudden-onset smell loss, in the absence of other explanatory history like a head injury, the chance of you being infected is high,' this is about raising awareness that smell loss is an early symptom of Covid-19.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

absence#1#4642#10000

Translations for absence

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"absence." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/absence>.

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