adj

absent

AB-snt

adj

Not present in a place where one is expected to be.

"Three students were absent from class today."

"He remained absent from work for two weeks after the accident."

Distracted or lost in thought; not paying attention to what is happening.

"He gave an absent nod, clearly thinking about something else."

verb

To deliberately keep oneself away from somewhere.

"She absented herself from the argument entirely."

How to Use Absent

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishNot there — whether physically missing from a place, or mentally somewhere else.

Common mistake

As a verb ("to absent oneself"), it is formal and reflexive — you don't simply say "I absented" without "myself/yourself" etc.

Common pairings

absent from absent-minded absent without leave

absenter comparative, absented past tense, absents plural, absents singular, absentest superlative

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Three students were _____ from class today.

From Old French absent, from Latin absens, the present participle of absum, "to be away from" — built from ab ("away") and sum ("to be").