Something absent, especially absent people collectively; those who were or are not there.
"The teacher spent the first ten minutes of class discussing the concerns raised by the absent students."
In plain English: An absent person is someone who isn't there when they are supposed to be.
"She noticed an eerie absence in his usual cheerful greeting today."
not being in a specified place
"The teacher marked John's name as absent because he was not in his seat during class."
lost in thought; showing preoccupation
"an absent stare"
"an absentminded professor"
"the scatty glancing quality of a hyperactive but unfocused intelligence"
Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present; missing.
"The student was absent from class due to illness."
In plain English: Absent means not being present at a specific place when you expect someone to be there.
"There is an odd absence of joy in his voice since he lost his job."
Usage: Use absent to describe someone or something that is physically not in a specific location at the time being discussed, such as students absent from class. Do not confuse this adjective with its noun form, which refers collectively to those who were not present.
In the absence of; without; except.
"In the absence of any instructions, please proceed as usual."
The word "absent" comes from the Latin absens, which means "being away." It is formed by combining ab ("away") and sum ("to be").