Meaning & use
omittal
Last updated
UK/əʊˈmɪtl/
US/oʊˈmɪtl/
Meaning
noununcountable
The act of leaving something out, or the fact of something having been left out.
Grammar: Mostly uncountable: the omittal of the clause.
Patterns
- the omittal of something
The omittal of her name from the list caused confusion.
He explained the omittal as a simple oversight.
The report's omittal of key figures drew criticism.
Common combinations
- the omittal of a clause
- The omittal of a clause made the contract unclear.
- the omittal of details
- The omittal of details left readers puzzled.
- deliberate omittal
- The deliberate omittal of bad news worried investors.
- an omittal from the list
- Her omittal from the list was a mistake.
Synonyms and how they differ
- omission
- This is the standard and far more common word; omittal sounds unusual.
- exclusion
- This suggests keeping something out on purpose, while omittal may be accidental.
- oversight
- This stresses a careless mistake rather than the act of leaving out.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: omittal or omission?
omittal vs omission
Omission is the usual noun and can be countable; omittal is a rarer variant of it.
Practice
Which noun is the more usual word for leaving something out?
Choose one answer.
Omission is the standard noun. Omittal exists but is rare, and the other options are not normal words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “omittal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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