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: to lessen in length or extent : SHORTEN

Synonyms

abbreviate, curtail, cut back, shorten—more at SHORTEN

abridg·ment or abridge·ment noun : a shortened form of a work

Synonyms

abbreviation, condensation, digest; also abstract, brief, outline, overview, précis, recap, recapitulation, résumé, review, sketch, sum, summary, summation, syllabus, synopsis, survey, wrap-up

abroad adverb or adjective 1 : over a wide area

2 : away from one's home

3 : outside one's country

ab·ro·gate verb -gat·ed; -gat·ing : to abolish by authoritative action : ANNUL

— ab·ro·ga·tion noun

Synonyms

abolish, annul, cancel, dissolve, invalidate, negate, nullify, quash, repeal, rescind, void—more at ABOLISH

abrupt adjective 1 : broken or as if broken off

2 : SUDDEN, HASTY

3 : so quick as to seem rude

4 : DISCONNECTED

5 : STEEP

Synonyms

bluff, blunt, brusque, curt, snippy—more at BLUNT

abrupt·ly adverb : in an abrupt manner

abs abbreviation absolute

ab·scess noun, plural ab·scess·es [ORIGIN: L abscessus, lit., act of going away, fr. abscedere to go away, fr. abs-, ab- away + cedere to go]

: a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue

— ab·scessed adjective

ab·scis·sa noun, plural abscissas also ab·scis·sae : the horizontal coordinate of a point in a plane coordinate system obtained by measuring parallel to the x-axis

ab·scis·sion noun 1 : the act or process of cutting off

2 : the natural separation of flowers, fruits, or leaves from plants

— ab·scise verb

ab·scond verb : to depart secretly and hide oneself

Synonyms

clear out, escape, flee, fly, get out, lam, run away, run off—more at ESCAPE

ab·sence noun 1 : the state or time of being absent

2 : failure to be present where needed, wanted, or normally expected : WANT, LACK

3 : INATTENTION

Synonyms

[2] lack, need, want—more at NEED

1absent adjective 1 : not present

2 : to be deficient or missing : LACKING

3 : not paying attention : INATTENTIVE

Synonyms

[1] away, missing, out; also AWOL, truant

Antonyms

here, present

[2] missing, nonexistent, wanting; also dead, departed, extinct, lost, perished, vanished

Antonyms

existent, present

2absent verb : to keep (oneself) away

3absent preposition : in the absence of : WITHOUT

ab·sen·tee noun : one that is absent or keeps away

absentee ballot noun : a ballot submitted (as by mail) in advance of an election by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls

ab·sen·tee·ism noun : chronic absence (as from work or school)

ab·sent·mind·ed adjective : unaware of one's surroundings or actions : INATTENTIVE

— ab·sent·mind·ed·ly adverb

— ab·sent·mind·ed·ness noun

Synonyms

absent, abstracted, preoccupied; also absorbed, dreaming, dreamy, distracted, engrossed, faraway, intent, pensive, rapt

Antonyms

alert

ab·sinthe also ab·sinth noun [ORIGIN: F]

: a liqueur flavored esp. with wormwood and anise

ab·so·lute adjective 1 : free from imperfection or mixture

2 : free from control, restriction, or qualification

3 : lacking grammatical connection with any other word in a sentence <~ construction>

4 : not disputable : POSITIVE <~ proof>

5 : relating to the fundamental units of length, mass, and time

6 : FUNDAMENTAL, ULTIMATE

Synonyms

[1] faultless, flawless, ideal, impeccable, letter-perfect, perfect, unblemished—more at PERFECT

[1] fine, neat, plain, pure, refined, straight, unadulterated, undiluted, unmixed—more at PURE

[2] autocratic, despotic, dictatorial, tyrannical, tyrannous; also authoritarian, totalitarian

Antonyms

limited

[2] complete, consummate, perfect, total, unequivocal, unqualified, utter; also authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable

[4] clear, conclusive, decisive, definitive, positive—more at CONCLUSIVE

ab·so·lute·ly adverb : in an absolute manner or condition

Synonyms

all, altogether, clean, completely, entirely, fully, quite, totally, utterly, wholly—more at ALL

absolute pitch noun 1 : the position of a tone in a standard scale independently