This is another in our series of articles on 1,000 useful words for IELTS, TOEFL and Academic vocabulary.

For a list of all of our articles in this series, click here.

ABSENT

Type of word/ ‘Part of speech’: Absent is an adjective

Meaning: To be away or to not be somewhere.

Examples:

1. John was not in class so the teacher marked him absent.
2. The manager could not attend the meeting due to transport problems so was absent.

The noun of absent is ‘absence‘.

In English we have a saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

This means that when someone is away you miss them more and appreciate them more.

Here are some more examples including those for a more academic context useful for IELTS or TOEFL.

1. The absence of strong punishments may not deter criminals from carrying out certain dangerous crimes.
2. The absence of any real data or information about this topic lead to many people engaging in speculation without any real proof or facts.
3. In the absence of strong and loving parents children may not grow up properly with good behaviour.

A person who is absent is an ‘absentee‘ e.g. ‘an absentee landlord’, is someone who is never in his property.

The noun of being an absentee is ‘absenteeism‘. For example ‘Absenteeism is a big problem in this school with many students not coming to class.’

Absent-minded is someone who is not fully attentive or aware of what is going on around him e.g. ‘This professor is super-clever but he is a bit absent-minded, he often falls over things’.

Here are some examples from real life.

Here is our video on this word: