Synonyms: Absent

Whether you're talking about staying home from school or missing a relative, this list has words for everything and everybody that's not around. For more synonym lists, explore our "Say What You Mean" resources.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. astray
    far from the intended target
    ‘If those unhappy hobbits are astray in the woods, it might draw them hither,’ said Legolas. The Two Towers
    To stray is to wander off a path, to get lost.
  2. barren
    completely wanting or lacking
    It stretched before him, a wasteland of glaring red hills rising from a giant’s block pile of tumbled boulders—desolate, barren and ominously still. The Golden Goblet
    Barren land has nothing on it: no plants, no water, no shelter.
  3. deserted
    forsaken by owner or inhabitants
    When Helen and Theresa went down to Pete’s office to complain, they found it deserted, and his desk tipped over. Typical American
  4. desolate
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    But here the countryside is too desolate and dry to live off the land, and begging is too chancy. Enrique's Journey
    Desolate is very close to barren: an area with no inhabitants or plant life.
  5. devoid
    completely wanting or lacking
    But what I don’t expect is how barren this place is, devoid of not just products, but even the hope of them. Dry
  6. lack
    the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
    Cole crawled stiffly to his feet, numb from lack of sleep. Touching Spirit Bear
  7. nonexistent
    not having being or actuality
    I put my hand in my jacket pocket and pretended to turn down my nonexistent iPod. Burning Blue
    If something doesn't exist, it's nonexistent.
  8. omit
    leave undone or leave out
    When she told of her escape, she omitted the tunnels and kept to the main contours. The Underground Railroad: A Novel
    To omit something or someone is to leave them out.
  9. removed
    separate or apart in time, space, or character
    “Let’s see,” said Mr. Popper, as he removed all the food and set it on the kitchen table. Mr. Popper's Penguins
  10. truant
    one who is absent from school without permission
    Social note: My truant mother is gone again, which is really rather fortunate. A Confederacy of Dunces
    If you're absent from school without permission, you're truant.
  11. unavailable
    not accessible or at hand
    Swart was a young man, and I explained to him that brown rice was the unrefined rice kernel, and we used to eat it during the war when white rice was unavailable. Long Walk to Freedom
  12. vacant
    not containing anyone or anything; unfilled or unoccupied
    Offices in the newest of Chicago’s skyscrapers remained vacant. The Devil in the White City
    Vacant is another way of saying "empty:" nobody's home.
  13. vanish
    become invisible or unnoticeable
    All traces of my sudden good humor vanished. Twilight
  14. void
    an empty area or space
    Anything to fill the dark void inside her. The Girl Who Drank the Moon
    A void is an empty space, like a hole, but also the empty feeling after someone leaves or passes away.
  15. wanting
    inadequate in amount or degree
    She's sure to be found wanting, and she is: It's as if Thatcher, in middle age, acquires a wealth of wit and intelligence overnight when Streep takes over the role. Seattle Times (Jan 12, 2012)
Created on Tue Sep 01 15:31:24 EDT 2020 (updated Sun Feb 28 16:55:26 EST 2021)

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