absence

The word “absence” means the state of not being in a place where one is expected. In plain terms, either being away from somewhere you're expected, or simply the lack of something.

“Absence” is pronounced AB-sns (/ˈæb.s(ə)n̩s/ in IPA).

Here is “absence” used in a sentence: “His absence from the meeting was noted by the board.”

Words with a similar meaning to “absence” include missingness.

The opposite of “absence” — its antonyms — are presence, existence, possession and sufficiency.

“Absence” is a noun.

The word “absence” comes from Latin. From Old French absence, ultimately from Latin absentia, based on absum, "to be away" — from ab ("away from") plus sum ("to be").

“Absence” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

"Absence" means something is missing from where it would normally be, while "lack" stresses that there is not enough of something, or none at all. You might note the "absence of the manager" from a meeting, but a "lack of funds" for a project.

"Absence" is the noun naming the state of being away or missing, while "absent" is the adjective. You would say "her absence was noticed" but "she was absent from class."

"Absence" commonly pairs with "of" (an absence of evidence), "from" (absence from work), and appears in the fixed phrase "in the absence of," meaning "without" or "when something is not there."