abwesende

Abwesende is a German term used as both an adjective and a noun to refer to people who are not present. The word comes from the prefix ab- combined with wesend (from wesen, to be), yielding a meaning of not being present. As an adjective, abwesend describes someone who is not physically present, for example in a meeting or classroom.

Used as a noun, Abwesende can take gendered forms: der Abwesende (masculine), die Abwesende (feminine), and die Abwesenden (plural). In common contexts, these forms designate absent individuals. Examples: Der Abwesende meldete sich später. Die Abwesende hat heute nicht teilgenommen. Die Abwesenden wurden entschuldigt.

In official records such as attendance lists, minutes, or event rosters, the term functions to identify those not attending. It can appear in administrative language (for instance, “Die Abwesenden wurden entschuldigt”) or in narrative passages describing a scene with missing participants.

Beyond its practical use, Abwesende can appear in literary or philosophical contexts to evoke the idea of absence or missing others, playing on the contrast between presence and absence. In everyday German, the related noun Abwesenheit denotes the general state of being absent, while Abwesend is the base adjective meaning “absent.”

See also: Abwesenheit, Abwesend, Abwesendheit (less common variant).