absent

1.

/ˈæbsənt/

not being in a specified place

2.

/æbˈsɛnt/

go away or leave

Other forms: absented; absenting; absents

Absent means not there. If you absent yourself from class, you're marked as absent. If you have an absent parent, it means they don't live with you or take part in your care.

Absent can also describe a state of mind, meaning "not all there" or "lost in thought." If you are absent from class on a test day, you will have to explain your absence, unless your teacher is so absent minded she forgets and just gives you an A.

Definitions of absent (/ˈæbsənt/)

1. adjective

   not being in a specified place
   synonyms:

   away

   not present; having left

   introuvable

   impossible to find

   AWOL, awol, truant

   absent without permission

   antonyms:

   present

   being or existing in a specified place

   attendant

   being present (at meeting or event etc.) "attendant members of the congregation"

   ever-present

   being always present

   existing

   existing in something specified

   here

   being here now

   naturally occurring

   existing by nature and without artificial aid

   omnipresent, ubiquitous

   being present everywhere at once
2. adjective

   nonexistent
   “the thumb is absent”

   synonyms: lacking, missing, wanting

   nonexistent

   not having existence or being or actuality
3. adjective

   lost in thought; showing preoccupation
   “an absent stare”

   synonyms: absentminded, abstracted, scatty

   inattentive

   showing a lack of attention or care