Absence refers to the state of being away or not present. It can describe something missing, the lack of a person, object, or quality, or the period during which someone is not present. The term is commonly used in formal and academic contexts as well as everyday language to indicate nonexistence or nonattendance.
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"Her absence from the meeting was noted by the team."
"The absence of evidence does not prove innocence."
"A long absence can make reunions feel strange but meaningful."
"Researchers noted the absence of a significant correlation between the variables."
Absence comes from the Old French absence, from Latin absentia, from ab- ‘away’ + esse ‘to be.’ The term entered English in the late medieval period, reflecting legal and scholastic usage around the nonexistence or nonattendance of persons or things. The core idea shifted from simply being away to denote a state of nonpresence or lack in various contexts—material, temporal, or abstract. By the early modern era, absence was common in English literature and legal drafting, and it broadened to include the absence of evidence or rationale in discourse. The Latin root esse (“to be”) preserves a direct semantic link to being, while the prefix ab- emphasizes separation or removal. Over time, “absence” stabilized as a substantive noun used across disciplines—from philosophy and theology to education and sociology—always signaling a gap between expected and actual presence. First known uses in English writings appear in legal and scholastic texts, where the concept of absence of a party or witness had practical implications. In contemporary usage, absence remains versatile, closely tied to ideas of vacancy, nonparticipation, and lacunae in data or memory, while also retaining emotional connotations in personal absence. In all senses, absence communicates not just non-presence, but the relation of that non-presence to what is expected or required in a given situation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "absence" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "absence"
-nce sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as ˈæb.səns (AB-səns). The first syllable carries primary stress. The middle vowel is a short schwa, and the final 'ce' letter combination yields the /s/ sound followed by a final /s/ or /z/ in connected speech depending on context. In careful speech, avoid tensing the /b/; the /b/ should be light and quickly release into the /s/.
Common errors: inserting an extra vowel (eg, ‘ab-uh-sence’ vs the correct /ˈæb.səns/), misplacing stress (putting stress on the second syllable), or turning the final /s/ into a /z/ in all contexts. Correct by maintaining primary stress on the first syllable, using a short /ə/ in the second syllable, and ensuring the final /s/ remains voiceless when the following word begins with a consonant.
In US/UK/AU, the initial vowel remains /æ/ in all, with primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈæb.səns/. Differences appear in flapping or voicing of the /b/ and the duration of the final /s/. Australian speakers may have a slightly closer vowel in the first syllable and a less pronounced final s due to connected speech. Overall, the rhoticity is not a factor for this word; the vowels settle around /æ/ /ə/ /s/.
The difficulty lies in the cluster /bs/ sequence where the /b/ must be released quickly into the /s/ without adding an extra vowel. The second syllable uses a reduced schwa /ə/, which can be skipped in rapid speech, leading to /ˈæbsəns/ or even /ˈæb.sns/. Also, keeping the correct short /æ/ in the first syllable and not elongating the vowel helps keep it natural.
Question: Is the final 'ce' always pronounced as /s/? In most varieties, yes—the final 'ce' yields /s/. Before a vowel-initial word, some speakers link with the next word, causing a slight /z/ voice in connected speech. The main point is to keep the /s/ voiceless when the following sound is a plain consonant; in fluent speech, you may hear a tiny voice onset time difference if the next word begins with a vowel.
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