Absence1. (n.) A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; -- opposed to presence.
2. (n.) Want; destitution; withdrawal.
3. (n.) Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind); as, absence of mind.
Thesaurus Entries
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