Meaning & use
absentia
Last updated
Meaning
nounsingularformallegal
Absence used almost only in the fixed phrase in absentia, meaning while a person is not present.
Grammar: Do not use it alone in ordinary sentences; it appears inside in absentia.
Patterns
- in absentia
- receive a degree in absentia
- try someone in absentia
The court tried him in absentia after he fled the country.
She received her degree in absentia while working abroad.
The vote was held in absentia when travel became impossible.
Common combinations
- in absentia
- The committee approved the award in absentia.
- degree in absentia
- He accepted his degree in absentia during the online ceremony.
- trial in absentia
- A trial in absentia raises difficult questions about fairness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- absence
- The everyday English noun; absentia is rare and normally locked inside in absentia.
- remotely
- Describes how something is done, not the formal status of absence.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: absentia or absence?
absentia vs absence
Use absence for normal English; absentia is almost never correct outside in absentia.
Practice
Which phrase is standard and natural?
Choose one answer.
The established legal and academic phrase is in absentia. The other forms mix ordinary absence with incorrect grammar or prepositions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “absentia”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.