 3 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
absence
noun
1: the state of being absent; "he was surprised by the absence
of any explanation" [ant: {presence}]
2: failure to be present [ant: {presence}]
3: the time interval during which something or somebody is
away; "he visited during my absence"
4: epilepsy characterized by paroxysmal attacks of brief
clouding of consciousness (a possible other abnormalities)
[syn: {petit mal epilepsy}]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Absence \Ab"sence\, noun [F., fr. L. absentia. See {Absent}.]
1. A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from
companionship; -- opposed to {presence}.
Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence. --Phil. ii.
12.
2. Want; destitution; withdrawal. ''In the absence of
conventional law.'' --Kent.
3. Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind); as,
absence of mind. ''Reflecting on the little absences and
distractions of mankind.'' --Addison.
To conquer that abstraction which is called absence.
--Landor.
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
81 Moby Thesaurus words for "absence":
AWOL, French leave, abscondence, absence without leave,
absentation, absenteeism, absenting, beggary, cut, day off, dearth,
default, defect, defectiveness, deficiency, deficit, departure,
deprivation, destitution, disappearance, drought, emptiness,
escape, excused absence, exigency, famine, fleeing, furlough,
holiday, hooky, imperfection, impoverishment, inadequacy,
incompleteness, insufficiency, lack, leave, leave of absence,
leaving, miss, necessity, need, negation, negativeness, negativity,
nihility, nonappearance, nonattendance, nonbeing, nonentity,
nonexistence, nonoccurrence, nonreality, nonsubsistence, not-being,
nothingness, nullity, omission, paucity, privation, running away,
sabbatical leave, scantiness, scarcity, shortage, shortcoming,
shortfall, sick leave, starvation, truancy, truantism, unactuality,
unexcused absence, unreality, vacancy, vacation, vacuity, vacuum,
void, want, wantage
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