Absence
['æbs(ə)ns] or ['æbsns]
Definition
(noun.) failure to be present.
(noun.) the state of being absent; 'he was surprised by the absence of any explanation'.
(noun.) 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.
(noun.) the time interval during which something or somebody is away; 'he visited during my absence'.
Typist: Willie--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; -- opposed to presence.
(n.) Want; destitution; withdrawal.
(n.) Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind); as, absence of mind.
Checked by Cecily
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. [1]. Non-attendance, non-appearance.[2]. Inattention, abstraction, preoccupation, distraction, revery, musing, brown study, absence of mind.[3]. Want, deficiency, lack, default.[4]. Privation, negation.
Typed by Elvin
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Want, departure, Inattention, nonexistence, failure, separation, lack,nonappearance, distraction
ANT:Presence, supply, {[apppnniice]?}, existence, manifestation, evidence,attention, immanence, inherency, consideration
Typist: Maxine
Unserious Contents or Definition
To grieve over the absence of any one in your dreams, denotes that repentance for some hasty action will be the means of securing you life-long friendships. If you rejoice over the absence of friends, it denotes that you will soon be well rid of an enemy.
Checked by Bertrand
Examples
- There was an absence of all lady-like restraint in her language and manner most painful to see. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Does he think to reduce me by long absence? Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- Your absence will make a vast difference to me, sir, as I think you very well know. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- This done, Madame would send Désirée out for a walk with her _bonne_, and profit by her absence to rob the robber. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- Such were the gentle murmurs of Mrs. Bennet, and they gave way only to the greater distress of Mr. Bingley's continued absence. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- My dear son, you contemplate an absence of a week, I think? Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- He should not have planned such an absence--he should not have left home for a week, when her own departure from Mansfield was so near. Jane Austen. Mansfield Park.
- To Elizabeth, however, he voluntarily acknowledged that the necessity of his absence _had_ been self-imposed. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- It was as one might feel on coming home after a long absence. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- At seven he painted the Battle of Waterloo with tiger-lily pollen and black-currant juice, in the absence of water-colours. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- Is the absence of unlimited proprietary rights felt more strongly in the case of personal chattels (such as furniture and ornaments) than in the case of land or machinery? Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Edward's embarrassment lasted some time, and it ended in an absence of mind still more settled. Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
- Leave being signified by a gesture, Shirley was presently enlightened on what had happened in her absence. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Time and absence had done its work on both the young people. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- This may explain the absence of the crew, he said. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- Perhaps Mr. Pitt was not very much displeased at these occasional absences of his mamma-in-law. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- The queen's dextrous management was employed to prolong these absences, and gather together accusations. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
Edited by Ellis