in absentia

/ˈɪn əbˌsɛnʃə/

When you do something in absentia, you're not physically present. For example, when you graduate in absentia, it means that although you get a diploma, you don't actually attend the ceremony.

In absentia is usually a legal way to describe someone as being absent, especially during a courtroom trial that the defendant doesn't attend. A judge or lawyer might say, "He is being tried in absentia." More often, it's used as a criticism of a trial, since most legal systems give people the right to be present at their own trials. Simply enough, in absentia means "in his absence" in Latin.

Definitions of in absentia

1. adverb

   while absent; although absent
   “he was sentenced in absentia”